The Infamous Residents of SLK
by TheWhyteRabbyt
Summary: College freshman Amy Rose is warned against socializing with Sigma Lambda Kappa, but ends up at their dorm through a series of chance meetings. Is the misfit frat house really all it seems?
1. Across the Road and to the Right

**Hello and welcome back to any of my returning readers! After much deliberation and planning that spanned back as far as during the last few chapters of _Advents_, I have decided to foist this bizarre, Frankenstein'd genre story upon you. Out of my love for you, I warn you now that this will not be the dramatic adventure story _Advents_ was, nor is it a romance. Rather, I'm stretching my skills to try and practice a new style, mostly revolving around bizarre situations and my own terrible form of comedy (I like bad puns and cliches; kill me). If this alternate universe appeals to you, carry on! If not, try one of my other stories, which will probably be infinitely better than this one. **

**As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to review or PM me. Thanks for reading and have a beautiful day!**

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1: Across the Road and to the Right or, "Stay Away from SLK!"

Station Square: a sprawling metropolis in the heart of West Mobius. Home to a beach-side casino, several illustrious hotels and a super mall three stories tall, it stands to reason it would also possess the largest college for miles. Sure enough, Linehardt University was a glorious campus filled with antique architecture, a massive commons center where (school regulated) events were held, and six dormitories in the form of antebellum mansions.

At the northern end of the property, three stately buildings guarded a courtyard complete with cherub fountain and fine, iron-wrought benches. A wide cobblestone path sprouted from the courtyard, meandering through a medium-sized forest and a delicate, manicured garden. Beyond the trees the road led to the dorms. On one side of the path were the sorority houses, kept tidy and welcoming by high-class young ladies. On the other, testosterone reigned supreme in the form of fraternities, where more than once the headmaster had delved to warn male students not to leave underwear on the lawn.

However, if one had a more experienced eye, it could be seen that the final frat house, Sigma Lambda Kappa, was placed just a bit further away from the rest. No one knew how long it had been that way and few had dared to find out. Sigma Lambda Kappa was the house for... _special_ pledges, or so the rumor went. So when Amy Rose arrived early one spring morning at Gamma Nu Omega, she eyed the dingy white mansion that sat across-the-road-and-to-the-right with boiling curiosity. Her best friend and Linehardt veteran of one year, Rouge the Bat, greeted her at the front door and instantly tried to squash the pink hedgehog's longing expression.

"Don't even think about it," Rouge yanked Amy's face towards her own. "If you only obey me for _one _time in your life, let this be it. Do _not_ go near SLK." Amy frowned slightly, her strawberry-glossed lips puckering. She blinked green eyes in question.

"Why not, Rouge? I'm just wondering why their house is so far away..."

"Trust me," the white bat groaned as she lifted one of Amy's heavy suitcases and began to pull it up the front steps. Upon reaching the top, she plopped the luggage down and gestured at the forbidden building with a scowl. "It's better like this. Those guys are nuts." Amy turned back to give the house one final stare. A cool breeze blew, ruffling her quills. It carried the scent of fate and Amy Rose had a feeling that—by the end of the week—she'd know exactly why Sigma Lambda Kappa was so displaced.

The moment reeking of cliché destiny passed and the young lady grabbed the rest of her things, stomping up the stone stairs with purpose.

_Amy Rose, you are going to listen to Rouge and focus on having a good first year._ She took a deep breath—and entered her new house. Met with a bustle of activity, Amy could only gape at her surroundings. Older girls scrambled around for backpacks, talking about psych classes and carrying textbooks that looked like they weighed the same as cinder blocks. A sizable staircase sat just past the tile entry, carpeted a dark blue. On each side a hallway curled away, leading to a kitchen and imposing dining room on the left, a den and bathroom on the right. Overhead, a crystal chandelier lit everything clearly. Amy blinked.

"Well come _on_, sweetie, we have to get you settled in." Rouge was pulling the luggage up the staircase, trying to stay out of the way of two statuesque minks making their way down. Amy scuffled after her friend, trying not get underfoot. The upstairs stretched on either side of the top, hallways lined with large windows and bedroom doors. Plush carpet squished underfoot and Amy's heart began to flutter as daydreams bloomed in her mind. Linehardt University at last! Just then, one of the bedroom doors burst open and a tall, slim swallow came stomping out, oblivious to the newcomer. Leaning over the stair rail, she raised a motor component and shouted loud enough to rattle the chandelier.

"MARINE! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO BUY YOUR OWN GEAR?!" When the echo of her voice ceased, she examined the bauble and wire, grimacing in lament. "Gonna have to buy a whole new set of copper..." Her blue eyes suddenly met Amy's, and she raised her eyebrows haughtily, "Who are you, then? Never seen you around GNO."

Amy's mouth opened and closed before she gained her voice back, "I-I'm Amy Rose... I just arrived for spring quarter..." _This girl is so... _intense! _And why does everyone here look like a model?_

The swallow crossed her arms and appraised the underclassman with narrow eyes, "Hmm... I'm Wave. What classes are you in?"

"Just basics," the pink hedgehog stammered, "um... math, literature..."

"Good," the swallow-called-Wave huffed. She stalked past Amy back to her room before turning and shaking the hunk of metal at her, "Stay out of the engineering wing; that's _my _business, no matter what Marine says."

"Who's Mari—" Amy began, but Wave slammed the door, leaving her alone in the hallways. The bell for morning classes rang faintly. Rouge suddenly appeared at Amy's side, causing her to jump.

"I see you met Wave. She's not a _bad_ person, just high-strung." Amy nodded and Rouge grabbed her hand, pulling her to the end of the hall. "Can't leave you alone for one minute, huh? Here's our room." They arrived in a small bedroom, the last in the house. It was divided in two by a set of oak desks; one side of the room was completely decorated in bubblegum-pink and silver, with several fluffy, heart-shaped pillows filling the bunk. Rouge pointed at the other side of the room, where an austere bed was pressed against the window. "That's your side. Feel free to deck it out however you please. Bathroom schedule is on your desk and I rustled up a list of eligible _bachelors _to go with it." The bat winked one of her powder-blue eyes, a playful smirk toying with her glossy lips.

"Thanks so much for making my pledge work out," Amy finally began to relax after seeing her bed. She turned and hugged her friend gratefully. Rouge shrugged, flipping a hand through her platinum hair.

"No biggie. It gets lonely in this big house with no one familiar." She yawned, "Now... I stayed up late to bring you in. I'm gonna try to catch a nap before night classes start. Don't make too much noise while you unpack." She wandered over to the gaudy bed, kicked off her high-heel boots, and fell onto the pillows. Snores emerged moments later, and Amy suppressed a chuckle.

_Oh, Rouge... I can't thank you enough._

The red-clad girl pulled her suitcases into a circular formation at the edge of the bed and plopped down to sort her belongings. Two hours dragged by and the sun rose into a higher position. Amy finally fell back on her bed, stretching from prolonged hunched position. A pleased sigh escaped her lips and the sun streaming from the window warmed her achy limbs. It was a good thing Rouge had opened the windows before her arrival; the breeze gave the entire setting a very homey feel.

The bell for afternoon classes rang.

Then, the most obnoxious car Amy had ever had the misfortune of hearing tore down the cobbled path and rumbled right in front of the sorority house—or so it sounded. Amy drowsily lifted her head, rolling over to place her chin on the window sill. The car _wasn't_ right outside the house. It was idling in the driveway of the forbidden dorm, Sigma Lambda Kappa. It was bright blue and _incredibly_ small, which caused Amy to blink in surprise when six people dragged themselves out of the doors on either side.

A blue hedgehog, jumped out of the driver's seat, flailing and chanting "HOO HOO HOO". A white hedgehog with ridiculous-shaped quills guffawed and floundered along with the blue one, and a black-and-red hedgehog helping some sweat-shirted creature out from the car. The person—who had their hood pulled over their face—kicked their leg out beneath the blue hedgehog and hissed in a strangely feminine voice, "Shut _up_ already!" On the passengers' side stood a purple chameleon who seemed to stagger with every step and a husky red echidna, stretching muscled arms and yawning. The bizarre group of people waddled haphazardly up their drive, stumbling over the pavement and making raucous conversation. When they finally opened the front door, they disappeared as suddenly as they had come: in a cacophony and the chameleon following behind, saying, "Sonic, there are people _sleeping_!"

Amy gawked, fully alert from the scene. She continued to stare, half expecting the house to erupt into a full-blown party with techno and strobe lights. When the sun began to blind her, she leaned back onto her bed, exhaling vacantly. Rouge's bed creaked. The white bat shifted up to glare at the window.

"_That_ is why you don't go near SLK."

Amy only nodded, more curious than ever.

* * *

First thing next morning, Amy woke with hope for a wonderful first day and patiently waited her turn to shower. After clothing herself in the nicest outfit she could muster—a simple red dress with a gray cardigan and red boots—she gathered her class list, backpack, and a campus map. She took one deep breath before braving the outside at the heels of some upperclassmen. A short, sherbet-colored echidna with beaded dreadlocks and a chipmunk with cropped auburn hair. The air was crisp and the cobblestone made a delightful sound with every high heel that fell on it. Amy smiled pleasantly, falling into a comfortable rhythm with the rest of the exodus.

"Did you hear about that incident in the chemistry lab yesterday?" The echidna remarked to the chipmunk, twirling a lock around her finger. The chipmunk shrugged in response. The echidna continued, "I heard it was Triple S again. Poor Mr. Rothshire has to write to the school board for a new set of chem vials; every last flask was destroyed." This seemed to catch the chipmunk's attention. She stood a little straighter and put her phone away.

"What did they do, _exactly_?"

The echidna chuckled, "Don't worry, Sally... They just melted them all with drain cleaner. I'm sure you'll be able to do that experiment you've been looking forward to." The chipmunk—apparently 'Sally'-wilted.

"I'll never get a proper education with those fools around... Lucky they're cute, otherwise I'd try to get them expelled."

"E-excuse me," Amy spoke up. The two older girls turned, looking her up and down with blasé expressions. Amy cleared her throat, "Um... Who is Triple S?" Sally groaned and the echidna girl grinned. She folded her arms behind her back and swayed in place. Amy looked between them, confused. After a moment, Sally waved a hand dismissively and rolled her eyes.

"Go on, Tikal, spill."

Tikal the Echidna squeaked happily before grabbing Amy's hand and pulling her to walk between Sally and herself. She began chattering away as if it wasn't seven in the morning, "First of all, Triple S isn't just _one_ person. There are three of them." She held up three fingers in Amy's face, wiggling them childishly, "Sonic, Shadow, and Silver. They make up the most interesting group of characters at this school, but their friends sure hold their own. Basically," Tikal bit her lips teasingly, "if you hear about any trouble or weird happenings around here, you can guarantee Triple S has a hand it." Amy nodded, filing away the information for later use. After she memorized the names, she cocked her head.

"What house do _they_ belong to?"

Sally frowned and spoke in monotone, "Sigma Lambda Kappa."

A chill ran up Amy's spine as memories of the previous night flooded back. Sometime after Rouge had left and Amy was just falling asleep for the night, noises began to filter up to the bedroom window. She had looked out again, assuming it was just some late night class students trying to get to the school. Unexpectedly, the dorm across-the-road-and-to-the-right had flared to life once more. It seemed as if every light was on, including the porch sconce. The front door was thrown open and the troop of six from earlier filed down to the driveway. The blue hedgehog tackled the white one, both launching over the side of the landscaping and falling onto the front lawn below. They wrestled for a bit before the black hedgehog came stomping down the stairs and shouted after them.

"Break it up, idiots. It's my turn to drive tonight and I'm not waiting for you to get out your _bromantic _urges." Behind him the hooded person and the chameleon trailed almost hesitantly. Finally, the buff echidna barreled over the flower beds and landed next to the brawling hedgehogs. Laughing boisterously, he pulled them apart.

"Get in the car, losers." He pumped a fist in the air, "Karaoke at Lenny's tonight!"

The blue hedgehog broke free from the echidna's grasp, beginning to dance and cheer, "Lenny's, Lenny's, Lenny's!" After a minute, the whole group joined in at varying volumes and they piled into the little blue car. It roared to life, backed out and tore away, the sound of techno music fading after it.

Amy had pushed away her desire for the smallest scrap of knowledge, instead rolling over to burrow beneath her flannel pillow and hope for a good morning.

"Hey, girl?"

Amy shook her head, breaking out of her reverie with an awkward giggle, "Sorry, I... I must have spaced out."

Tikal eyed her warily, "If you say so. Anyway, I wouldn't worry about Triple S affecting you directly. They're pretty detached, if the position of their house didn't give that away. You're a freshman besides, right?" Amy nodded. Tikal bobbed her head as if saying "then you're fine". By some premonition, the sherbet echidna checked her phone. Her face contorted into a worried frown, "_Crap_, I'm going to be late for Psych! See-ya, Sal. Oh," she smiled warmly at Amy as she jogged away, "have a good first day!" Sally stopped walking and turned to the younger pink hedgehog.

"Like she said, Triple S won't give you too much trouble. As long as you stay away from SLK, you'll be totally fine." She looked at her phone and back at Amy, "My Debate class is starting. See you later." She turned on her heel and marched away. Amy stood in the middle of the path, bewildered and just a _teeny _bit nervous. The wind blew, moving the edge of her dress as she stared at the ground, deep in thought. Suddenly a string of expletives erupted behind her and a blue blur shot past. It doubled back and materialized in front of her in the form of the blue hedgehog wearing a letter-jacket. Amy Rose gulped.

Sally was right. He _was_ cute. His quills spiked out behind him in a bed-head style, and deep-green eyes flicked up and down her form with a practiced glint. He finally let out a low whistle.

"Haven't seen you around here before, cutie! You a freshman?"

Amy attempted not to choke on her tongue, "...yes."

The blue hedgehog grinned, "Cool-cool. What's your name?"

"Amy Rose." Her heart was fluttering and her stomach was all tangled up! Who! Why!

He nodded and gave her a cheeky expression, "Cute name, too. Too bad I'm already late for class, or I'd..." The morning bell rang and he cursed under his breath, "I'd better be going, is what! Listen," he turned to go, "I'll see ya around, cutie."

Amy nearly fainted before she recovered just enough to shout after him, "Wait! What's your name?"

He turned once more and threw her a wink with a thumbs up, "Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog." After that, he bolted away in the blink of an eye. Amy fanned herself with a hand, attempting to quell her anxiety. Since arriving at Linehardt, she had received vehement warnings to beware of Sigma Lambda Kappa more than "welcomes". The house was creepily far away and the residents were obnoxiously loud at all times of day. She had done nothing but repeat the same mantra in her head: _Focus on a good first year. Don't get in trouble_. She didn't want anything to do with Sigma Lambda Kappa!

So why did she feel like she had just kissed Ryan the Gosling?

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**Cue shuddering at possibly the worst pun in all of history. I know... this is a far cry than the quality of my other work. If you liked it, excellent! If not, tell me why in a _helpful _critique. Thanks again!**


	2. In Fair Linehardt Where We Lay Our Scene

**I'm surprised that went over as well as it did, eheh.**

_Lost and Forgotten Memories: Yay! Perfect is excellent news! I love Wave; I've never actually played any of the games she's in, but I researched her a LOT because her personality is so delightfully complex. I wanted to represent her well and I'm glad that came across. (Although, I am curious about the thing that bothered you. Even if nothing changes I do take my reader's personal preference very seriously)_

_DahserMan1025: I definitely thought I'd be more winded after finishing _Advents_, but I realized the most important thing for writing well is to just keep writing. No brakes on the learning train! I hope you enjoy this, as it's definitely far from my area of expertise._

_Nab-Nab450: Down the narrow, dirt road in my mind called 'Arrogance', I initially came up with this idea as a challenge to all the other school-fic writers. There is a bizarre sort of appeal to the idea of nearly any fandom's characters being put in a school setting, but it's usually executed so poorly and with severe OOC, useless drama. I wanted a more mature take on a long-dead beaten horse. Granted, there will be random humor, but it will reach far beyond that of "bacon is a funny word, I'll say it a lot" type jokes. I digress! I welcome you back with open arms and hope you enjoy!_

**My husband who betas my chapters will not let me live "Ryan the Gosling" down. Little does he know. This chapter is long and slightly dull, but it serves as a gateway to a grander path. Please, meander with me.**

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2: In Fair Linehardt, Where We Lay Our Scene

Amy slipped into her first class, Advanced Literature, as discreetly as she could. Unfortunately, due to her long chat with Sally and Tikal as well as being stopped by Sonic, she was too late to choose a seat with deliberation. Each row she passed was full to the brim and no one wanted to make room for "some new kid". After her hike up the bleacher-like lines, she reached the final row, which overlooked the lecture room like a box-seat in a football stadium. The last available chair was next to a lavender cat, whose tight ponytail and slanted gold eyes were... intimidating to say the least. Amy shakily pointed to the seat. The cat leaned back from her notebook and gave the pink hedgehog a neutral stare before shrugging and returning to her papers. Amy sighed and plopped down in the seat. Suddenly, the cat spoke. Her voice was vaguely familiar and Amy had to force herself to listen instead of trying to place it.

"I'll let you sit here today, but don't think you can do it again if you're some immature girl here for the boys."

"What? How rude!" Amy blurted, instantly regretting it as gold eyes looked sidelong at her with a chilly expression. The cat sighed and leaned back in her seat once more, crossing her arms.

"_Sorry_. I guess you couldn't be _completely _foolish if you got into Advanced Lit as a freshman. What's your name?"

"Amy Rose... and yours?"

"Blaze the Cat. There. Pleasantries aside, my statement still stands. If you _are_ frivolous, I will make sure that this seat is never available again." Before Amy could respond, the room went silent. She turned her attention to the front, so far away and small-looking. A badger stood at the front of the room in a stuffy tweed suit, shuffling papers at his desk. He scanned the rows of students with a critical eye, only pausing on one parrot with a glaring mohawk hairstyle before continuing on. At last, he rumbled out in a deep, gravelly voice.

"Welcome to Advanced Literature, Day One, dear students. I am Professor Bramble. I trust you will all bring your own supplies from this day to the end of the quarter. You're all adults and I will not tolerate slacking. Now," he gestured at the pile of papers he had shuffled. "The syllabus is on my desk. Do I have a volunteer to hand out stacks to the front row? Yes, you there." A yellow rabbit carefully doled out even stacks to the first row of students. The professor waited in silence until each of the papers were passed around. Amy took hers and skimmed the list of books they'd be covering.

"Ooh, _Persuasion_!"

"Don't get too excited," Blaze stated blandly. "I took Bramble's Beginning Lit. He hates romance and only makes us read the first and last chapters of whatever book he chooses." She frowned suddenly, giving Amy a curious glance, "You weren't expecting a lot of lovey stuff, were you? Bramble is known across campus to focus on one genre. That's why I took his class."

Amy's stomach began to twist, "What... what genre?"

Blaze smiled, an uncomfortably coy expression for the one-word statement, "Horror." Amy Rose bit her lip and looked at the syllabus again, a single thought echoing in her mind.

_Why me?_

"Young lady, you in the very back!" Professor Bramble growled. Amy jumped and looked at him. He frowned, "Don't think you can get away with chattering just because you're all the way back _there_. I have the ears of an owl." Amy nodded vigorously while Blaze looked bored. After gritting his teeth, the badger began to address each point of the syllabus. When he was halfway through, the male squirrel on the other side of Blaze leaned over and whispered nigh-imperceptibly.

"You think Triple S are going to quiet down anytime soon?"

Blaze raised her eyebrows and looked down at him, suddenly appearing very regal, "_Shadow_ doesn't partake in the noise factor. It's the other two." Amy listened with interest. Sounded like Blaze had a thing for one of the troublesome trio. She smiled at the idea of this prickly person having a crush; it just seemed so... awkward. Professor Bramble growled again.

"I will _not_ warn you again, Miss Hedgehog!" Amy leaned away from the cat and nodded.

_I hope the rest of my classes go smoother._

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After a harrowing hour where Amy was forced to remain utterly silent lest she be scolded again, the bell rang and she escaped to her next class, Physics I. The halls were crowded and she had to study her map several times before realizing she was in the wrong building entirely. After running down the stairs and nearly slipping on a puddle near a drinking fountain, she sprinted across the courtyard to the Maths and Sciences building. Out of breath and clothing mussed, the freshman finally stepped through the door of the classroom she was _positive_ was the right one. She was met with raucous laughter and the sight of a fuming lizard, who was scolding a familiar pair of hedgehogs, red-faced.

It was Sonic and his albino friend. The white hedgehog was giggling madly as he juggled—alarmingly—a laptop computer, a glass paperweight, and a fire extinguisher. The funny grouping of quills on his forehead wiggled comically. Sonic stood by, cheering him on as the class roared with glee. The lizard flailed his hands.

"Silver the Hedgehog, _stop _disrupting my freshman class this instant!"

The white hedgehog (known as 'Silver') only grinned, "Easy, Mr. Spine! I'm giving them an introductory lesson in the breakable laws of physics!" Amy noticed a strange cyan glow to each of the items Silver played with. As he juggled, suddenly the laptop went shooting towards the audience, only to be pulled back as if on an invisible cord. Professor Spine shook his fists.

"_You _are an exception! You can't let them think _they_ have telekinesis, too! My classroom will be in ruins!" Amy realized the white hedgehog was using his mind to control the items rather than actual juggling. She spluttered in shock.

"But, that's _impossible_!"

Silver stopped his false juggling, letting the objects settle and hover in the air. The entire room turned its eyes on the pink hedgehog, half upset at her interruption and half curious as to who she was. Sonic's face lit up with recognition and he stepped towards her.

"Hey, it's the cutie freshman from before! What a coincidence, eh?"

Amy was painfully aware as the class' stares turned frigid, "Yeah... funny seeing you here..."

"Eh, don't worry," Sonic laced his fingers behind his head, motioning with his chin at the room, "Silvs and I aren't held back or anything. We're in Chem two."

"How nice," Amy said weakly. The blue hedgehog's charm was greatly reduced as she stood under the proverbial microscope of the student body. Sonic turned to nudge his friend in the ribs.

"Well, let's let the new girl have a good first class with Spiny over here." He saluted the old lizard playfully, "See ya later, Spiny!"

"Just get out," the teacher spat back. Silver gently placed the laptop, paperweight and fire extinguisher down on the professor's desk before throwing his hands in the air in double peace signs.

"I'll be here all week!"

"Not if you don't want to get _expelled_, young man," Professor Spine glowered as the pair of hyperactive frat boys exited, Sonic winking at Amy again and blowing a kiss to the room. After they were gone, a painful silence settled in the air. Amy looked up at her scaled teacher, desperation in her face. He simply sighed, exasperated, before gesturing at the sea of desks. "Find a seat, Miss...?"

"Rose," Amy said, hoping her respectful tone was conveyed properly. The lizard nodded, rubbing his temples.

"Miss _Rose_. Also, I'd advise you not to get close to those infuriating young men. It would be a... _negative_ choice for a new student like yourself."

"I appreciate the concern," Amy picked her way over the floor of backpacks, finding a seat in the middle of the room. She smiled pleasantly at the surrounding students, hoping to make friends that were freshmen like her. However, every person she turned to looked away, as though she was tainted somehow. A pair of girls in the row ahead of her turned to each other and whispered mockingly.

"She thinks she's special because an upperclassman called her cute?" One hissed.

"As _if_; she looks totally innocent. Probably doesn't even know they're from SLK." The other giggled behind her hand and they pulled apart. Amy gripped the edge of her desk, a pout stealing over her lips. All she wanted was to have a good first year, but that darned dorm kept interfering! She resolved to be more careful; if rumor spread that she was involved with the hated students, she'd never escape the chains of bad repute.

Once Professor Spine had calmed down, he turned out to be an excellent teacher. His syllabus had funny clip art in it and Amy could tell he _really_ loved his subject. He answered questions no matter how simple-minded they seemed and he wished each student a good day when the bell rang. Amy looked forward to his class.

"Okay," she compared her schedule with the campus map, "Pre-Calculus it is, then. Oh! That's only down the hall!" Her shiny red boots squeaked on the tile floor as she traversed the crowds. Her daydreams of college glory returned, and she was so deep in thought by the time she reached her next room she nearly bumped into a familiar face. Seeing Blaze at the arm of the black hedgehog from SLK, Amy hid around the corner to spy on the crush in action.

"I don't understand a Sol-forsaken symbol of this..." Blaze shoved a packet at the taller hedgehog. She threw her hands in the air, "How I passed Pre-Calc I'll never know!" Amy watched as the hedgehog's merlot eyes flickered over the paper. He pointed at one section, speaking in a soft voice.

"This is the part you're having difficulty with?" Amy wondered how someone could _actually_ be quieter than the purple cat. The feline nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. Her companion pursed his lips and continued, "You multiplied where you should have divided. Also, a double negative equals a positive."

"_Ugh_," Blaze bared her teeth, "I _always_ forget that!" Amy frowned. This was possibly the most boring flirting she'd ever witnessed, not that there had been much to see back home. The black hedgehog smirked and handed the papers back to Blaze before ruffling her hair.

"Pay me back later?" He asked huskily. Amy blushed as the feline shrugged ambivalently. _So... not a crush... Friends... with benefits? _The two upperclassmen sauntered by in silence, Amy pressing herself to the wall so as not to be seen. As she turned the corner and entered the classroom, her thoughts shuffled all the information about SLK the other students had supplied. Sonic didn't seem _too _bad... but for some reason it was a bad thing to be called "cute" by him. Silver appeared to have an authority problem and the black hedgehog ('Shadow'?) used girls in payment for homework help. Amy shuddered, deciding she'd seen enough and would rather not run into any more of the outcast frat.

She was in luck: Pre-Calculus was void of anyone that had crossed her path so far and she even made a friend in a short raccoon who spoke with a clunky, foreign accent. The girl introduced herself as 'Marine'. Memory of Wave yelling about 'gear' in Gamma Nu Omega the previous morning burst into the pink hedgehog's mind and she smiled, snapping her fingers.

"So _you're_ Marine! We live in the same sorority!"

The stubby mechanic grinned, "Is tha' right? Well, I look forward to seein' ya around the house!" The rest of the class passed quickly, with Marine agreeing to help Amy if she needed it with some of the harder problems. The professor was a soft-spoken female owl named Pytha, who used an old-fashioned pointer and smelled of roses. Amy quite liked her. After the syllabus was discussed and the list of required books passed out, the bell rang. Marine waved goodbye in the hall and Amy smiled, her nerves settling down for the first time that day. Her next class was in another building and she began the long trek through Maths and Sciences.

Outside was a welcomed change; a brisk breeze steadily blew across the campus. The fountain trickled merrily and there was a warm chatter of students lounging on the many benches. It smelled of sun. Amy reluctantly entered the History and Language building again, missing the scheduled lunch break of high school. Her Global Studies class sat on the first floor, tucked away in a corner beyond a janitor's closet, which was surprising considering it was one of the largest lecture halls on campus. Upon entering, the first thing she noticed was the musty odor of old books. The second was the only student who had arrived so far: a muscled red echidna idly flipping through archaeology magazines in the first row. Thirdly, a weathered old tortoise who wore a fez stood at the front of the room. He peered at the hedgehog girl with narrow hazel eyes before speaking.

"Hmm... I like pink with red. Have a seat next to Mr. Knuckles, young lady."

Unable to argue considering her own love affair with the color, Amy simply sighed and waddled over to the hulking figure, sinking into her seat with halfhearted caution. The echidna—or rather, Knuckles—didn't show any notice of her. Amy stared ahead, not wanting to bother him lest he have a temper. The elderly tortoise smiled appreciatively, nodding his approval.

"Yes, yes... It's so nice to see such charming young people. Does a body good."

Fifteen minutes ticked by. The tortoise only chewed his gums and nodded occasionally. Knuckles shuffled his magazines and began one again. Amy bounced in her seat. The silence was stifling. When the pink hedgehog couldn't stand it anymore, she risked a question.

"Um... Are there any... _other _students in this class?"

The tortoise snored while standing. Finally, Knuckles closed his magazine and turned to stare down at his company, face unreadable. Amy noticed two large spikes on either of his hands. They looked... _dangerous_.

"This is my third time taking this class," he said. "The first time, there was five of us. The second, just three. Now... Well, here you are. Shell just stands there. Occasionally he lets us take home ancient texts, which I'm sure were uh... _borrowed_ from a museum. Other than that, there's not much to do."

"Well why is it still a class?" Amy asked, irritable.

"Because he's old and tenured," Knuckles shrugged, as if the idea was the simplest thing in the world. Amy pressed fingers to her forehead, sighing.

"So _why _are you still taking this 'class', then?"

"I have to pass it." There was a non-debatable sort of edge to the echidna's voice, and his dark violet eyes shined with determination. Amy cocked her head and looked up at her companion.

"Why do you have to pass _this_ class?" Her question lingered in the air like smoke. Knuckles didn't answer right away—only chewed his lip and stared at his hands. Amy waited. Would she be able to switch this class on such short notice? Could one do that? Knuckles spoke at last, the faintest tinge of pink on his face.

"I'm trying to get into Ancient Society Two... but I didn't pass this class the first time because there wasn't anything to grade. It's like a... a 'glitch in the Matrix', know what I'm saying?"

Amy stood abruptly, "I can't be _stuck in here_! I have a college _life_ to have!" Professor Shell snorted and Amy quickly sat down, eyeing the tortoise in case he woke from his nap. Knuckles blinked vacantly.

"Well I don't know what to tell you... If there's nothing to grade, there's no grade. No grade, no pass. I'm as angry as you are."

"Let's get our classes switched!" Amy pounded a fist into her other hand, not realizing she was getting carried away with a stranger twice her size. "We'll go to the main office tomorrow and change to the other Global Studies class. You'll get to move on to Ancient whatever Two and I'll move on from freshman year!" She thrust a hand in the echidna's face, nearly smacking him in the process, "Whaddya say?"

Knuckles took her hand gingerly, "Um... Okay?"

"It's settled!" Amy sat back, smug. A cricket chirped in a nearby classroom. Amy opened her eyes to look at the red upperclassman, suddenly curious, "Why is it so important to get into Ancient Society Two?"

Knuckles didn't answer, and the bell rang.

* * *

Amy took a deep breath as she stood before the door of her final class, Computers. The Arts and Technology building was expansive, to say the least. To find the tiny classroom, she had passed the noisy theater, a spacious Fine Arts room, and several Design classes. When at last her red boots stood on the tile and her green eyes read "Computers I", she paused to straighten her clothes, shift her backpack and stand up straight. She pushed open the door and marched in.

The room was small, dark, and crowded with long tables covered in black computers. Some of the students had already arrived and were chatting or setting up notebooks and pencils. Amy chose a seat off to the side in the middle row. The day could still be saved if she blended in enough! A dark brown fox came in and sat beside her. He ran fingers through his messy bangs. Amy smiled at him when his chestnut eyes met hers and he offered a friendly smile back before checking his phone. The pink hedgehog suppressed a giggle.

_At least _this_ class is looking up from the start._

The final set of lights dimmed suddenly and Amy looked to the front wall, where the purple chameleon from Sigma Lambda Kappa had flipped the light switch. Dread began to creep across her skin. Had she spoken too soon? Would this frat boy be as disorderly and strange as the others? His flat yellow eyes flicked to her own, causing her fur to stand on end.

"Thank you, Espio," a paced, feminine voice sounded from the large desk at the front-left of the room. "Attention, class... If I could have you all face the front so we can go over the syllabus?" The chatter ceased. The chameleon—who could only be said 'Espio', Amy decided—walked over to the desk and sat in a rolling chair beside it. A powerpoint flared to life on the canvas against the front and the voice spoke again.

"Welcome to Computers One. My name is Sharon Lebelle. You can call me Professor Lebelle. This lovely gentleman is my teacher's assistant, Espio the Chameleon." She paused, allowing the class to chorus "hello" and the chameleon to wave silently. "He will be helping me with grading as well as fixing your computers should one of you mess them up." The class chuckled. "Try not to do that, though. It's time-consuming. Now, let's talk about the curriculum for the quarter."

Professor Lebelle went on to discuss the basics of computing and why it was important to learn such skills. The world was changing, she said. Computers were going become a part of everyday life, no matter what major you went on to take. Amy found herself furiously scribbling notes throughout the entire hour. The bell rang and she gathered her things. After zipping her backpack, she looked around in the hopes of introducing herself to the fox. However, instead of a tall-dark-and-handsome, Espio stood in front of her. She jumped.

"Gah!"

Espio blinked, "You're the new girl at Gamma Nu Omega."

"Um..." Amy gulped, "Yeah... I am. Why?"

The chameleon cocked his head, his face an emotionless mask, "I saw you watching us yesterday morning."

"Oh.." Amy bit her lower lip. _Crap, crap-crap-crap! _"I was curious about the... the car!" She pointed with both index fingers, scrambling for an excuse. "I wanted to know who was driving it."

Espio nodded vaguely, "I see. Well, welcome to Linehardt. If you need any computer help, I'm here until noon classes are over, Tuesday through Saturday." Amy nodded, slowly donning her bag and backing away.

"Thanks, um.. Nice to meet you..."

"Espio," the chameleon offered. "And you are?"

"Amy Rose."

"Cool. See you around, Amy." As soon as his back was turned, Amy bolted for the door. Thank heavens the day was over at last!

* * *

**Misunderstandings and chance meetings abound! *SARCASTIC DRAMATIC GASP DEADPAN* Will Amy survive? (Of course she will.) Who was the mysterious hooded person, and where are they now? (You probably know.) Next time, on _Greek Life..._**

**By the way, will anyone help me come up with a better title? I feel like "Greek Life" may deter some younger readers who are like "Why are the characters in _Greece_"... I was thinking _The Infamous Dorm of Linehardt _or...? Anyway. Thank you again, my dear viewers!  
**


	3. At the End of the Day, It Begins

**So I realized I accidentally called Knux' eyes blue again; I went back and fixed it, in case anyone cares.**

_Lost and Forgotten Memories: Thank you for the input! After some deliberation and my husband offering his advice, I decided to splice my idea with yours to create the new title. We'll see if it gets more views this way. I couldn't find the exact fic you mentioned on devArt, but I did find some gems, hoo boy. Let's just say I never pictured Shadow as the type of guy who flirts chronically and makes out with multiple girls in one day. Geez louise. _

_Re-Harakhty: Yay, you're back! Trust me, this isn't the type of fic I normally read or write either, but I've seen enough (in my desperate attempts to find _something_ to read) that I know it needed a new take. I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

3: At the End of the Day, It Begins

Linehardt University Library and student store was almost a parallel dimension in its own right. Located smack in the middle of the History and Language building (making the structure the largest of the three and the words "Main Building" emblazoned across the top of the doors), it was a icon of perfection; what all bookstores aimed to be. With mahogany paneled walls, massive stained-glass pendant lamps, and even a coffee shop next to the cash registers, it was an oasis of zen in a desert of dramatic young adult life. Amy breathed in the smell of coffee, closing her eyes.

"Oh hey!"

She opened her eyes to see Sally and Tikal sitting at a study table, piles of thick books and papers around them. Tikal was waving and grinning broadly. Sally was scrolling through her phone, brows stitched together firmly, with a pen in the other hand. Amy waved back and skipped over, sitting next to Sally and looking across at the sherbet echidna. Tikal leaned forward and took the younger girl's hands in her own.

"_So_ how was your first day? And what's your name anyway?" She pulled one hand away to twirl one of her dreadlocks around a finger.

"Amy Rose," said hedgehog responded, deciding she quite liked Tikal's bubbly personality; it had a reassuring effect which proved to be sorely needed. Tikal nodded and gestured at Sally.

"Pleased to meet you, Amy. As you probably guessed from earlier, that's Sally." The chipmunk raised her eyebrows in unenthusiastic greeting before resuming her frown. The echidna pointed at herself, dancing in her seat, "I'm Tikal, expert in _all _things historical and psychological. If you need help getting around or with homework stuff, Sally and I are usually here until four."

Sally suddenly slammed a fist on the table and growled, "How _dare_ those misogynists say that! Feminism is _not_ about reducing men's rights!" Amy blinked rapidly but Sally went back to focused silence, angrily typing a reply to whatever blog she'd read. Tikal waved a dismissive hand.

"Ignore her; Sally is majoring in Political Science and has 'big plans' for the women's rights movement."

Amy suddenly cocked her head as an idea struck her, "Wait... Tikal, you said you were an expert in history? You wouldn't happen to be taking Ancient Society Two, would you?" Tikal chewed a pen, her bright blue eyes flicking around the library absently.

"What? Oh... yeah, I am." Her face lit up and she leaned forward dramatically, "Amy, are you interested in history?!"

Amy shook her head, "Unfortunately, not really... but I met someone today who said he'd been trying to get into that class. For some reason he can't pass, so he's stuck in Global Studies with me."

"Who's your teacher?"

"Professor Shell."

Tikal's bright face paled, her eyebrow twitching faintly. She leaned back and began shuffling her papers. Amy flailed her hands, trying to backpedal.

"Oh, I don't mean anything by it, I was just wondering if maybe you could help him out!"

Tikal's smile was forced, "Um... No, I don't think I could..." Amy felt awful. Whatever she had said, it had been wrong. She was possibly moments from losing one of the only potential friends she had made in the sorority. Was she making enemies right now? Then, as if it took all the strength in the world, Sally finally breathed out an explanation.

"Tikal took Shell's class a year ago. There was this unbelievably dim-witted echidna in it and he fell head over heels for her. He's been trying to pass but keeps forgetting to turn in a signed attendance slip to the main office, which is the only proof that he took a _lecture-only _class. We'd prefer to keep it that way." She finally leaned forward and—pen in hand—began furiously scribbling the start of an essay. Amy's stomach had gone numb. Poor Knuckles, needlessly stuck in a basic class... And poor Tikal, having to deal with whatever had transpired between the two upperclassmen in the past.

"Well," Amy exhaled morosely, "I guess I'll just have to find a way to pass without letting him know..."

"That's the spirit," Sally deadpanned. Tikal made an apologetic face.

"I'm sorry, Amy... I just _really_ don't want to run into him again."

Amy smiled, "It's totally fine; I understand. But... I think I should go get my text books before all the good copies are gone." The two older girls nodded, waving her off, and Amy stalked up to the cash register. An orange weasel with a badge that read "Student Volunteer" greeted her.

"What can I help you with?" She said brightly. Amy handed her a list of all the books she'd be needing. The weasel's bright green eyes scanned the list. She picked up two clipboards, each with a different set of paperwork. "Would you like to rent these or do Linehardt's Roll-over Student Discount?"

Amy rubbed her chin at the unexpected options, "Uh, what's the second one?" The weasel put down one clipboard and handed it to the pink hedgehog.

"The Roll-over is what most people choose here. At the beginning of a semester, you pay full price. If you return the books in perfect condition, you get a fraction of the price back and a credit towards your next semester, should you return. If you rent, however, you _must_ return the books in perfect condition—or pay a fine equal to the cost—and you do not get a roll-over credit for your next set." The weasel inhaled loudly at the end, having spouted the entire summary in one breath. Amy bit her lip.

"I think... I think I'll do the student discount?"

"Total cost comes to five hundred dollars."

"Five _hundred_?!" Amy shrieked. A nearby librarian glared at her. The pink hedgehog sighed, crestfallen, and handed the weasel her student ID.

* * *

Amy trudged back to the dorms, arms laden with rented books. The crowds of noon-class students passed around her like water around a rock. Some lingering day students were going home for lunch, but most had gone out to the city to shop and eat. Amy wondered if Rouge might show her around, if the bat wasn't sleeping still. Suddenly, the doors to one of the frat houses Amy was passing opened and a green hedgehog wearing sunglasses came out. An unpleasant, rank smell mixed with the lilt of Top 40 music poured out of the doors. The hedgehog noticed Amy and grinned, lowering his sunglasses to reveal icy blue eyes.

"Hey, babe. Wanna come hang at a real frat?"

Amy wrinkled her nose, "With _that_ reek? No way."

"You won't get any finer company at Linehardt," he called after her as she walked away a little faster than necessary. When she didn't acknowledge him any further, he shrugged and passed back into the house, forgetting what he had gone outside for in the first place.

Amy wrinkled her nose again as she entered GNO, grimacing from the wretched stink. As she headed up the stairs, loud voices seeped out of the room to the left.

"I don't _care_ what you needed it for, I bought it with _my _money and you need to replace it!"

"Wave, aren't we both mechanics? Don' we need ta stick tagetha?"

"I'm in a completely different field from you! Just replace my speed attachment by tomorrow."

"Eh... I spent... all my money...?"

Amy suppressed a chuckle at the death-gurgle she assumed was Wave as she passed the bedroom. She was beginning to understand what Rouge meant about "high-strung" and the image of stately Wave and stumpy Marine arguing was... entertaining, to say the least. At last, Amy reached her own room and kicked open the door. Rouge was sitting at her desk, brushing her fingers through wet hair. The white bat looked up at the noise and smiled.

"Welcome back. How'd it go?"

Amy set the stack of books on her own desk as gently as she could. The _thud_ echoed in the small room nonetheless. She slumped into the chair and fell forward on the table, resting her forehead on her arms.

"Tiring, if anything. My first class started with this really scary girl... Then I ran into Triple S... or... two of them, or something." Amy sat up, looking at her friend with puppy eyes. Rouge rifled through her makeup bag, smiling in that strange way she had. It always looked like she knew something you didn't. Not in bad way, just unnerving sometimes. The bat pulled out a pink lipstick and mirror and began the long process of making herself up.

"So you heard about the _terrible trio_, eh? They're the worst of SLK. The echidna is actually kinda cute, all brawny and all." She put the lipstick down and reached for an eye primer. Amy placed her hands under her chin and watched the older girl work, sighing.

"I just wanted to make a good first impression, but it was like... everywhere I went,_ they _were there. My science class hates me because Sonic called me 'cutie'... That echidna was in my history class," Amy paused when Rouge raised her eyebrows before continuing, "but he's a total dunce." Rouge pouted. Amy twiddled her fingers, "There was this _really_ hot fox in my computer class, but Espio scared him away before I could get his name."

"It'll sort itself out," Rouge offered, packing peacock-blue powder onto her eyelids. "Just try to survive the first week and then you'll be in the clear. SLK will fade into the background and everyone will think you're just another new kid."

"Thanks," Amy muttered sarcastically. Rouge finished her look with mascara and zipped her makeup bag shut. She smiled at Amy, raising perfectly-shaped brows.

"Hey... you hungry?"

As if on cue, the pink hedgehog's stomach growled.

* * *

Past the high stone walls and the embellished iron gate of Linehardt, Station Square bustled and changed on a daily basis. The college was but a microcosm in a much larger world. The city rose and dipped and rose again—skyscrapers to residential streets and back. The buildings were tall, the streets noisy, and the sidewalks crowded. The city's namesake train depot, SS Central Station, was a hive of business folk and average people-needing-to-get-places. Yet, somehow, there was a magnetic draw to the lifestyle that pulled people from as far as Mystic Ruins. Rouge's high heels clicked on the pavement as Amy followed close behind, trying not to gawk at the magnificent scenery too much.

"Rouge!"

"Amy, for the billionth time, it's just another dime-a-dozen sky scraper. C'mon, the restaurant is right around the corner."

True to the bat's word, it was. Lenny's was a quaint sort of diner, seemingly out of place in the sophisticated world that surrounded it. The roof was copper; the walls old, dirty stucco; and the signage dated. Still, it was the only restaurant open twenty-four-seven that served both breakfast _and_ dinner. Not to mention it had a karaoke bar in the back. Amy eyed the structure warily.

"Are you... sure... this is good?" She shifted away from a homeless-looking rat who was sleeping against one of the walls. Rouge turned and grabbed the hedgehog's hand, pulling her inside the swing door. The heavenly scent of pancakes combined with a bizarrely-pleasing mix of steak and hot fudge assaulted Amy's nose. She looked around the simple place, the smell of breakfast breads raising her spirits. A skinny coyote led the pair of college students into one of the dining areas, seating them at a window booth. The coyote's bushy tail swayed when she put the menus down and she walked away to get two glasses of water. Hope renewed, Amy opened her menu with a determined _snap_.

"This place looks like Hell," Rouge said quietly, "but wait till you try their french toast."

"I can't decide _what_ I want," Amy's green eyes flicked over the many pages. "There are too many options!"

At that moment, the rumble of an idling car seemed to shake the entire diner. Amy looked out the large glass window to the right—and immediately cowered behind her menu, sinking down into the booth so as not to be seen. Rouge put down her own menu and frowned.

"Amy. _What _are you doing?"

"It's t-them! They're here!" Amy exclaimed, pointing out the window with a shaking hand. Sure enough, the little blue car with a big attitude had pulled in, parking against the curb outside. The roar ceased and Silver got out of the driver's side this time, with Sonic crawling out from the middle and Shadow casually standing up from the passenger's seat. Triple S made their way up the sidewalk and around the corner. Rouge's blue eyes followed their path along with Amy's trembling finger. The bell on the front door jingled and the trio of frat boys walked in.

"They're eating here!"

"Well, yeah, hon, that's what people do here. Why are you so afraid?" Rouge flipped open her menu again, uninterested in the latest surrounding developments. Amy, her eyes trained on the cash register as Shadow spoke to the hostess with his two friends scuffling around behind, launched upwards in her seat. Her eyes flared.

"Are you _kidding_ me? Ever since I got to school you said 'stay away from SLK', 'trust me, those guys are a bad bunch', 'better not go near _those _losers'. Now you're saying it doesn't matter that I ran into them _all day_ and the entire freshman year is going to think I'm having _lunch_ with them?"

"Amy, calm down. You're frothing at the mouth."

"_Ugh!_" The pink hedgehog hissed at her friend's fickle behavior. The sound of another car door slamming made the pair of girls look outside once more. The waitress led Triple S into another dining area before coming back to place water glasses on Rouge and Amy's table. Oddly enough, Blaze, Knuckles and Espio were getting out of the blue car. Amy's frustration dissipated at the sight of the lavender cat.

"Poor girl, getting used by her crush like that," she remarked sympathetically. Rouge nearly spat a mouthful of water out. She swallowed and wiped her mouth, chuckling.

"I'm sorry... _What_ did you say about Blaze?"

Amy rested her face on a fist, watching the next trio meander up the sidewalk, "She likes Shadow, but he's just using her, making her pay for homework help with her body."

"You've been reading too many high school fics on that website you like," Rouge muttered, skimming over her menu for the umpteenth time. Amy frowned and glared at her friend.

"I haven't been on that site since I was sixteen! I'm telling the truth! I heard them in the hallway... _Why _are you smiling like that?"

Rouge snickered, "You'll find out soon enough, I think."

The waitress returned and took their orders. Amy's poor, tender mind burned with curiosity, trying to figure out the white bat's cryptic statement. She was so deep in thought, she almost forgot to notice how delicious her french toast was.

* * *

Amy Rose lay in her bed, splayed out like a child. Rouge was gone for night classes and the silence of the small bedroom led to too much introspection. Not to mention, a frat up the street was throwing a loud party, forcing Amy to keep the windows closed. Although, considering the cringe-worthy memory filling her mind like a tasteless B-movie, ear-shattering dubstep might have been a better alternative. She groaned in embarrassment, rolling over in her blankets and burrowing beneath her faded pink pillow. At least she had changed the bedding to her own, the optimistic part of her mind offered.

_I was so stupid earlier..._

After a relatively pleasant meal at Lenny's, Rouge had gone to the front to pay and Amy had tried to sneak out past the boisterous table of SLK and their feline guest. Unfortunately, just as she passed their dining area, Sonic and Silver had gotten up to play the claw machine by the front door. They nearly knocked a tip-toeing pink hedgehog over in the process.

"Oh, sorry there, cutie freshman," Sonic chuckled warmly. Silver nodded. Amy looked between them, exasperation slowly building up in her chest.

"Um... My name is 'Amy', not 'cutie'..."

"It's a habit of his," Silver shrugged. He extended a hand in greeting. Amy took it gingerly, noticing for the first time the albino was wearing strange gloves, each with a bluish circle in the center. He smiled brightly while he shook her hand, "My name's Silver. Pleased to meet you, Amy. Sorry about disrupting your little class earlier."

"It's... fine..."

Sonic slapped Silver's lingering hand away from Amy's, "Hey, man, cool the forward. I met her first."

Silver grimaced and rolled his eyes, "Whatever! She can like who she likes." Sonic pursed his lips before giving Amy a conspiring look. He waggled his eyebrows.

"Well, I think this _cutie_ has good taste. Whaddya say, Ames? Blue or white?"

Amy, who had been growing more irate by the second, finally burst, "NEITHER!" The restaurant went silent. Somewhere at the back of her mind Amy heard Rouge utter her name chidingly, but the only thing she could see was a red filter over these obnoxious boys who seemed to be trying to ruin her life.

"Neither!" She hissed again, "I've run into you people all day! Is it your _goal_ to alienate me from the rest of the school?!"

The two boys looked confused, as if they couldn't quite grasp what she was saying.

Amy continued, "All I want is to blend in and have a good first year! In order to do that, I can't be seen as your friend or acquaintance. So why don't you just STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

Sonic's face turned sullen, his lower lip pushing out in a pout. Silver just winced and shrank away, his visage wounded. Amy finally noticed the restaurant's stares and Rouge's mortified expression. Realizing that she had just humiliated two upperclassmen _and_ herself, she ran from the building... all the way back to Gamma Nu Omega.

_Ugh... They didn't do anything wrong_, Amy thought as the memory faded again, _I was just too wound up... and too scared._ She bashed her head on the mattress a few times, wishing the ground could have opened and swallowed her up before she made a fool of herself. Now she'd have to face Wednesday morning with the bitter taste of shame in her mouth—and a sea of angry students. Even if SLK was a misfit fraternity, they still were there before her. Would the whole school hate her now? How many other Linehardt students had been eating lunch at that moment? Amy worried herself to sleep, dreading whatever punishment she'd receive in the morning.

However, when she woke too early and sat in Advanced Literature—when she made her way through the day and even sat right next to _Knuckles_—there wasn't any. No one looked at her any different. Blaze nearly ignored her, only making sarcastic comments about the introductory homework. There was no sign of Sonic and Silver in Physics, nor of Blaze and Shadow before math. Knuckles only read his magazines while Professor Shell rambled about what was going on with the antrho-human communications in the far East, and Espio followed Professor Lebelle's instructions like a carefully trained servant, only pausing to glance at Amy with a flat expression before telling the attractive fox how to open the Start menu.

The week passed in the same perfectly-quiet manner and the guilt had gnawed Amy's innards to dust. The freshman felt as if she would explode if she didn't _do _something. Sunday morning arrived. Rouge was dead asleep after a wild Saturday night at a club in the downtown area. Sally and Tikal were nowhere to be found and most of the sorority members were out enjoying their weekend or sleeping in. Even Marine and Wave's shared room was quiet. There was no voice of reason or someone to tell her not to go.

So Amy Rose walked across-the-street-and-to-the-right. She marched past the little blue car, up the stone stairs and beside the messed-up landscaping. She marched right up to the red, double front doors—and Amy Rose knocked.

* * *

**So as we see the wild Amy in her natural habitat, there's a fine line between love and hate, and the members of SLK are infiltrating her mind to the max. How will her frat-affair turn out? **


	4. The Infamous Residents Are?

**Okay, so sorry if my updates slow a little bit. I'm really trying to plan this one in advance and cool the chapters for a day so I can edit out mistakes easier. **

_Nab-Nab450: Sorry that was confusing. Basically, Amy is really into romance (much like her canon self) and she doesn't spend a lot of time analyzing things before she just decides something. From her first conversation with Blaze, she applied typical 'girl' thinking because it makes sense, and then when she 'realized' Shadow was using Blaze, it's just an extension of that thought. It's a bit naive, but that's how I picture Amy in my mind: rash, romantic, and wired._

_Lost and Forgotten Memories: It makes me so happy to hear you getting excited! I'm not sure if it's accurate, but I always picture you as really calm and collected, so hearing you feel anticipation makes me feel like I'm doing the right thing! What are they really like? Well... hehehe, we'll find out._

_adar13: Hello new reviewer and welcome! Since I've never seen you review my work before, I'll thank you for taking time to click on one of my stories. I hope you enjoy!_

_Re-Harakhty: That's a wonderful compliment, thank you my dear! _

_blaze the lol cat: Wow, that's excellent news. I try to work really hard to keep my grammar and spelling up to snuff, good to see it's paying off. And yep, _On Mobius_ was me. I'm glad you liked it, as it's my most popular story so far. Thank you for reviewing!_

_DahserMan1025: Glad to hear, I was afraid I'd lost your interest. Hope you enjoy!_

**So, don't feel too jarred. That's all. Have a lovely day!**

* * *

4: The Infamous Residents Are...?

No one answered.

In fact, the doors seemed so thick and ancient that Amy's knock was completely absorbed, leaving behind a disquieting, vacant feeling. Amy frowned and studied the surrounding area for any sign of a doorbell. There! A single black button in a circular gold box against the wall. She pressed it firmly. A loud, low gong-like noised rattled the front windows, causing the pink hedgehog to question her motive. What was she doing here again? _This place gives me the creeps!_

She remembered: she was coming to apologize for freaking out at them in a public place. Amy scrunched up her face in misery, knotting a fistful of quills in her hand. Why was she so quick to act? She never thought anything through... Green eyes reappraised the mansion. Why was no one answering? Their blue car was here... and it _was _Sunday. And that gong certainly couldn't be missed. Her red boot squeaked as Amy tapped her foot impatiently.

_Well maybe I _won't _apologize, if they're not going to answer!_

Huffing through her nose, the freshman turned to leave. As she moved to take the first step down at the stairs, a brisk gust of wind nearly knocked her sideways. She cried out—her small voice carried away on the zephyr—and flailed her arms in a windmilling motion to steady herself. The wind smelled of fate again; Amy looked back at the mansion's door, her face fixed in a determined frown. Straightening her red shirt over the waistband of her jeans, the pink hedgehog marched back to the door and gave the handle a try.

It opened.

The only sound trailing through the cavernous front hall was some sort of rock music station. Amy narrowed her eyes... Pantera? Was that the name? Throwing caution to the fate-smelling wind, she entered the house and shut the door behind her. The layout was constructed a little differently than Gamma Nu Omega, with the stairs facing in towards the house and disappearing upwards over the entryway. The hall ran to the back—ending in a gargantuan kitchen—with smaller paths branching off to the side. Amy listened closely. There were voices coming from the last room on the right: the largest doorway. Ignoring the nagging feeling in her stomach telling her to turn and run, she kept walking until she turned the corner—and was met with a deafening uproar of shouts. Her eyes went wide as Espio was suddenly launched across her vision, sending him crashing into a gigantic, retro television. He bounced off it and fell to the floor. The pink hedgehog noticed there was a circular crack on one quarter of the screen (as well as strange holes in the wall behind), which displayed an old fighting game.

Without moving, Espio groaned quietly, "_This _is why I spend so much time in my room, guys." Peeling her attention away from the boy on the floor, Amy turned to take in the rest of the room. Sonic and Shadow sat side-by-side on a saggy, green couch, each leaning this way and that with their tongues out, frantically tapping at their chunky controllers. Knuckles stood at the back of the room, arm just returning to his side from having thrown the chameleon. He growled at Silver, who was sitting on the floor by Sonic's feet.

"Silver! Stop using your tele-whatever to cheat me out of money!"

Silver frowned, "It's _telekinesis_, and that's not how it works, bro. You're just betting wrong." Knuckles roared incoherently before turning to the sweat-shirted person perching on the couch arm next to Shadow. He yanked their hood down, revealing a half-lidded Blaze. Amy gaped, still unnoticed in the opening of the room. The hooded member was Blaze? A girl living in a boy's dorm!

Knuckles hissed, "It must be you, then! Shadow _always _wins Street Fighter tourneys when I bet against him!"

"Hey!" Sonic snapped, green eyes still focused on the cracked screen, "It's not _my _fault I always lose rock-paper-scissors for the crap side!" Having been wrenched from the comfort of her hood, Blaze's eyes flared open and she turned to glare at Knuckles. For a moment, Amy thought she saw flames in the cat's eyes. Blaze back-handed the echidna upside the head.

"You idiot! Everyone knows Sonic always loses _everything _except his track races_._ It's your fault for betting on him after five _years_!" She turned back to watch Shadow pull off a particularly complex grab. Her mouth twisted into a smile, much more devious than the polite expressions she'd shown Amy in Advanced Literature. The feline crossed her arms over her chest, "One more grab like that and he's down." Shadow grunted in response. After the noisy display, Espio looked up from where he still sprawled on the floor. He noticed the intruder in the doorway and casually lifted his fingers in greeting.

"Oh. Hey, Amy." The game was paused and five pairs of eyes joined Espio's in staring at the additional company. Amy jolted, looking around the large room, fear in her eyes. Her fingers toyed with the hem of her cardigan and beads of sweat formed on her hairline. After a crushing silence, Sonic smiled brightly.

"Ames! How ya doin'?"

The pink hedgehog spluttered. Silver snickered behind a hand. Shadow quietly appraised her while Blaze simply gave devil fingers. Knuckles waved. When Amy failed to respond, Sonic raised an eyebrow.

"You okay, there, Amy...?"

The freshman's face was a contorted mess of emotions. Guilt, embarrassment, surprise... Why were they saying "hello" to her like nothing had happened? Weren't they going to yell at her and tell her to get out?

"Aren't you mad at me?" She blurted. The group turned to one another, offering shrugs and curious looks. Finally, they turned back to their underclassman and smiled. (Well, most of them. Shadow just looked complacent.) Silver rubbed the back of his head.

"About the Lenny's incident? Not really," his gaze turned soft. "We all know what it's like to be a freshman. Everything can be really scary when you're new. Plus," a goofy grin formed on his lips, "we're really too old to care if people like us or not." The others nodded. Amy felt her lower lip begin to tremble.

"But... I was so rude..." How could they possibly forgive her?

Shadow barked a grim laugh, "If you think what _you_ said was rude, you clearly haven't heard what other people say to us. Now stop being so... weepy? Distressed? Blaze, help me out."

The feline heaved a sigh, "Dysphoric?" Shadow nodded.

"That's the one."

Amy pressed a hand to her cheek, finally gathering her composure, "I'm really sorry... Everyone I met said you all were troublemakers... and I assumed the worst."

Sonic grinned suddenly, "Well, you know what they say about _assuming_, right?" Shadow and Blaze both grumbled.

Espio squeezed his eyes shut, "Not this again."

Sonic and Silver jumped into the air, flailing their arms as they shouted in unison, "IT MAKES AN 'ASS' OUT OF 'U' AND 'ME'!" Knuckles laughed boisterously while Shadow rolled his eyes. The warm atmosphere began to creep into Amy's chest, dispelling her inhibitions towards the frat. As the boys all fell into noisy chatter, Blaze slipped away from the couch arm, gesturing at Amy to follow her. They left the room and entered the kitchen, which was remodeled to have a counter running down the center with stools on either side. Blaze waved a hand at the stools and approached a very large fridge on the other side. Amy sat down, questions tearing through her mind like cars on an interstate. Blaze's tail swished back and forth.

"Care for anything to drink? Looks like we have..." the lavender cat wrinkled her nose, "an alarming surplus of Mountain Dew."

"Um... water is fine," Amy said. Blaze closed the fridge and moved to rifle through a cabinet. She pulled down two glasses and began to fill them from the fridge's dispenser. Amy chewed a thumb, trying not to explode. After an eternity, Blaze turned around and slid one of the glasses across the marble counter before drinking from her own. Amy rolled the glass between her hands before lifting her eyes to the enigma standing before her.

"Um... Blaze?"

Blaze swallowed and gazed at the hedgehog evenly, "Yeah?"

"You... live here?" Amy slapped herself inwardly. Way to be awkward. However, Blaze only shrugged, her cold eyes warming up just a bit.

"I do. Don't beat yourself up for being curious, either. I used to get asked that a lot."

Amy's face reddened slightly, "I... I think I misunderstood you."

The feline leaned on the counter, her face emotionless, "How so?" Before Amy could respond, Sonic whined from the living room.

"Blaaaazyyyyy, bring me a soda!"

The lavender cat rolled her eyes,"Excuse me one moment." Blaze opened the fridge and took out one of the many cans of Mountain Dew. Amy watched as she sauntered over to the doorway of the den and—leaning back for one defining moment, soda can nestled in her hand like ammunition in a catapult—pegged Sonic right in the face. His head snapped backward from the force, the soda rebounding off his face to land in his lap. Shadow and Silver jumped up and high-fived as a deep voice erupted from the TV.

"Player Two wins."

Shadow cracked his fingers smugly while Silver made a strange finger-rubbing gesture at Knuckles. The burly echidna groaned, reached into his shoe, and handed the albino a roll of bills. Silver smiled devilishly and tucked the money into his jacket pocket.

"Pleasure doing business with ya, Knux."

Sonic finally lifted his head again, holding one side of his face, "What happened... Did I lose?" He looked at the soda in his lap and the flashing screen displaying the word "WINNER". He looked back to the door, "Blaze!" The feline chuckled darkly, turning to go back into the kitchen. A chorus of disgusted yells followed her—Sonic had opened the shaken can.

"Where were we?" Blaze sat on a stool across from Amy, who was still attempting to process the strange sequence of events. She sipped her water stiffly, eyebrows knit together in confusion. Blaze waited patiently, resting her chin on one hand and smiling politely. Amy finally finished her water and set the glass down. She inhaled and exhaled before making stable eye contact with the feline.

"Um... I thought you had a crush on Shadow..."

There was a snort from the kitchen entry; Amy turned on the stool to see Espio, straightening his sweater. He walked into the kitchen, snagged an apple from a glass bowl, and bit into it. Amy raised an eyebrow.

"Is that a weird thought to have...?" She asked in a tentative voice. Blaze and Espio exchanged glances. Espio swallowed.

"No," the chameleon licked his lips, "It's just surprising that you said that to her face." He took another bite and Amy turned back to the lavender feline, a lump of worry in her throat. She was just saying the wrong things left and right! However, Blaze seemed unperturbed and simply refilled her water glass before speaking.

"A lot of people think that, but I stopped beating them up a long time ago."

Espio spoke through a mouthful of fruit, "Blaze and Shadow are just weird. They have this strange, platonic _thing_ going on, but if anyone tries to ask Blaze out, Shadow..." He trailed off as Blaze's gold eyes turned hard. Blinking slowly, the cat turned back to Amy.

"We're just friends."

Amy nodded vaguely before realizing Espio had vanished. She blinked, pointing to where he had been standing, "Um...?"

"He's a ninja," Blaze said simply.

Sonic and the others came trooping in, filling the air with white noise as they chatted. He slung an arm over Amy's shoulders. The pink hedgehog felt her heart fall into her stomach and she tried not to blurt out something embarrassing. Sonic took a swig from his near-empty soda can.

"So... Howsabouts we blow this popsicle stand for the day?"

Blaze groaned, rubbing her temples, "_When _will you learn that the slang you use is not at all 'cool'?" Sonic blew a raspberry at her and looked Amy in the eye.

"Well, Ames? Wanna get acquainted with Chaos Control?"

Amy nearly bit off her tongue in her hurried response, "What's Chaos Control?"

Shadow leaned on the counter next to Blaze, a hint of smirk on his languid face, "It's the car." Silver came around the other side of the Amy, smiling wide and toying with his gloves.

"It may be small, but it gets us places! And you can sit by _me_!" He smiled before Sonic pulled away from Amy to flick the telekinetic's ear.

"She'll sit wherever she wants, pot-head."

Knuckles burst out of the pantry, jingling a key-ring from his fingers. He smiled broadly, "My turn to drive?"

* * *

Amy had never felt so claustrophobic in her life. Her knees were pressed under her chin and her elbows were buried in the sides of her companions. Blaze had opted to take one side to protect the younger hedgehog from Sonic, and Espio had taken the other, arguing that he was the only other person who shared a class with her and therefore knew her better. Shadow had demanded to ride shotgun, but due to Blaze sitting in the back instead of with him, had been forced to retain Sonic on his lap. Where the center console had been long before the car was purchased by this strange group of people, there was an empty space—a space which occupied Silver, who for some reason kept accidentally bumping into Amy's knees with the back of his head. She was glad she had worn pants today.

"I can't believe you're only _twenty_!" Sonic gasped for the third time in ten minutes. As Knuckles hit the brakes for a red light, Shadow's grasp on the blue hedgehog "slipped", allowing the loudmouth to crack his head on the windshield.

"Sorry." Shadow did not sound genuine, and Sonic cast him a wary glance while rubbing his bruised head. Amy sighed.

"I guess I should have said something before you guys offered to take me out for a welcome party..." As the car sped forward once more, Silver bumped his head off Amy's knees. He looked up at her with innocent yellow eyes.

"I think it's good that you're twenty, Amy. It means I'm not the baby anymore!"

"How old are you?" Amy growled, attempting to stuff her irritation at the unwanted physical contact. The albino hedgehog smiled.

"I just turned twenty one in December!"

Blaze, who was staring out the window absently, muttered from behind a hand, "It was an _unfortunate_ event." Amy wasn't sure if she wanted to ask or not. Shadow solved her problem by speaking himself.

"I still say we just buy stuff from that one gas station."

"That would be encouraging underage drinking," Espio murmured. Shadow frowned.

"So?"

Sonic shook his head, "You're hopeless, Shads."

"What'd you say, Faker? I feel like I'm losing my grip again." Shadow's gaze slid to the echidna at the steering wheel, "Any red lights on the horizon?"

Sonic gripped the handle above the window, "Fine, fine. Forget I said anything."

Knuckles glanced in the rear-view mirror, "We'll just find something Amy can do _with_ us." He put the blinker on and suddenly Blaze sat up very straight, her tail fluffing up.

"No. No-no-no..." She leaned forward to grip the driver's seat. "Knuckles, I know what you're thinking. It's one of the dumbest ideas you've had in a long time..." At the sound of Blaze's distress, Shadow ceased his torment of Sonic and looked out the windshield. Amy tried to angle her head so she could see out the front. Silver's over-sized quills blocked her line of sight, however, and she slumped back into position, disappointed. Shadow's face became drawn and he glared at Knuckles.

"In what way is this a good idea?"

Knuckles' expression grew concerned, "I like it here... I think Amy would too." Said pink hedgehog yelped in frustration.

"Where are we?!"

The car stopped in a parking spot and Knuckles gestured out the right-side window, "See for yourself."Amy leaned over Espio and looked out. Her mouth fell open in awe. They were parked in front of a massive neon sign, emblazoned with the words "Twinkle Park". A ticket window poked out in front of intricately-carved gates ten feet away. Past the brick wall that towered overhead, the tops of a Ferris wheel and a curling roller-coaster could be seen. Espio awkwardly pushed Amy back into her spot, away from his lap.

Blaze frowned, "If you think I'm going to spend all of my money on a crowded, noisy _child's _ park, you are wrong."

"It's not just a child's park, Blaze," Sonic offered, pointing to a small sign below the ticket window. "It says 'Cute couples get in free'!"

"_Child_ couples," Blaze spat. Shadow opened the car door and dumped his blue irritant onto the pavement.

"I say we vote," the black hedgehog muttered. "All in favor of this idiotic attempt at entertainment, say 'aye'." Knuckles, Sonic, Silver, and Espio chorused 'aye'. Amy bounced up and down in her seat.

"Yes! Yes, I want to go!"

Sonic smiled haughtily, jabbing Shadow in the arm, "See? _Ames_ wants to go. You gonna deny a face like that?" He gestured back at her. Shadow turned around to study Amy's face. Unfortunately, she had blushed due to the use of Sonic's nickname and the way the blue hedgehog's smile curled up ever-so-perfectly. Seeing her dreamy expression, Shadow shrugged.

"Yeah, I could deny a face like that."

"Well, too bad!" Knuckles suddenly kicked open the door and got out, pulling the seat forward so the back-seaters could crawl out. He offered a hand to Blaze, who hissed quietly but took it. Silver followed Shadow out the passenger's side and Amy clambered out behind Blaze. Finally, Espio emerged to join the rest, stretching and yawning into the warm spring day. Knuckles turned to slap Silver on the back.

"Since I lost my money to you this morning," the red echidna stated firmly, "it would be very _generous _of you to pay for the entry." His violet eyes narrowed and the not-so-subtle crack of his namesakes insinuated that Silver would be paying whether he wanted to or not. The albino sighed.

"Somehow I never get to keep the money I win..." he dragged his feet to the ticket booth, where a disparaging-faced mouse began to print entrance passes. After poking and prodding at Shadow in an attempt to get a rise out of him and receiving a punch to the stomach, Sonic painfully shuffled over to Amy and draped an arm over her shoulders. She hunched under the weight, distracted by a faint smell of shampoo lingering around the older boy's quills. He smiled at her and winked one of his beryl-colored eyes.

"Start thinking about what rides you want to go on. Hope you like 'em fast."

_Oh yes_, Amy found her heart murmuring, _I like them fast. _A small voice at the back of her mind pointed out that the phrase was heavy with allusion, but Amy only smiled. As she passed through the gates of Twinkle Park, her stomach seemed to rise and fall like ocean waves. Sonic kept his arm over her, and the pink hedgehog wondered if it really was so dangerous to harbor a little crush so soon.

* * *

**Yes, I know I said this wouldn't be a romance. It won't, I promise. But there will be a hint of natural emotion, as it wouldn't seem right to leave out _those_ types of feelings. Just, this time, I won't be focusing on the romance, but rather the surroundings of it. Um... well, you'll see. It'll be good.**


	5. Twinkle Park Take-over

**I'm so very sorry for the delay everyone! I came down with mild writer's block for a couple of days and when I came back, my computer broke. It's been in the shop but now it's back and I gushed out a chapter like never before! (Except for _On Mobius_, but that was an accident.)**

_Blaze the lolcat: Yeah I figured she'd stick to the little ground attractions like mini trains and such. And the can part was my favorite of that chapter :)_

_adar13: Well, it's not that there won't be tidbits of pairings or love, it's just not a romance as in that's not the focus. I mainly just want to write a good friendship story. Hope you enjoy!_

_Lost and Forgotten Memories: I'm so happy to hear you were laughing! I jumped up and squeed haha I hope I didn't offend by the "calm and collected" comment D: Sorry if I did; you're my best reviewer and I'd hate to be bothersome._

_Re-Harakhty: Yay I'm glad you like! This is so hard to write since I don't do "school" fics, so it's wonderful to hear it's pleasing!_

_DahserMan1025: You never cease to make me smile :) Thank you for your reviews!_

* * *

5: Twinkle Park Takeover and the Talkative Table

"This is so totally fun!" Amy shrieked with glee. The speed of the roller-coaster ripped the words from her mouth and she gave up, simply beaming at Sonic next to her. The blue hedgehog had dragged her to the coaster first thing, getting their passes stamped and seats secured before she could even blink. Blaze had prowled away into the shadows of the bumper car arena, followed by her red-striped, ebony companion. The rest had piled onto the coaster cars with excitement, Silver resisting the urge to pull the starting lever with telekinesis before it was fully loaded.

Just as Amy was starting to second-guess her brewing attraction to the older boy beside her, they were off into another curve! "Roaring Spiral" was less rickety than some of the rides at the fair that had passed through Green Hill when she was younger, and Amy hadn't been expecting to be launched into the fastest ride immediately. Now, her quills flipped around haphazardly. Sonic whooped with joy once more and when they reached the highest loop, Amy spread her arms as if she could fly. The sun warmed her face.

She almost forgot Sigma Lambda Kappa was footing her bill.

They had insisted on it at the gate. They were older, more experienced. It only made sense. Amy had felt incredibly guilty and begged to pay for at least some of her ticket, but Sonic had brushed her off as he helped her into the first car on the ride.

"It's a welcome party! Just enjoy it!"

So she did. As the cart sped down the shiny rails at rocketing speeds, Amy let every care in the world blow away on the breeze. Knuckles' noisy-but-endearing laughter joined the cries of exhilaration emitted by the passengers and when they reached the end, the group of young adults could only giggle as they crawled away from the towering coaster. Amy attempted to brush out her quills as she scanned the crowds for Blaze and Shadow.

"Don't you think we should find the others?"

Sonic laced his fingers behind his head, smiling lazily, "Maybe. What do you think, Espio?" The chameleon held onto the metal divider that spaced out the lines. His eyes seemed to go in and out of focus as his dizzy spell faded. When he had collected himself, he shrugged.

"If you want to endure Blaze's wrath... I can sense her from here."

Knuckles lifted the purple computer-geek under his arm like a football and gestured towards the bumper cars before marching away. The three hedgehogs followed.

Amy picked at a loose thread on her sleeve, "Um... Why would Blaze be angry that we're going to find her?" Sonic only smiled. Silver rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Well... Blaze has a bit of secret... and she's _really_ shy about it. When she lets loose though, it comes out like Mr. Hyde."

The roar of a cheering crowd suddenly echoed through the park and the group quickened their steps. Blaze's voice could be heard, much more distinct than she normally spoke.

"FEAR ME! FEAR ME!"

The boys chuckled quietly while Amy began to bite her nails. They arrived at the shady bumper car enclosure, where a flaming _something_ smashed into the other cars indiscriminately. Children ran from their vehicles, terror on their tiny faces. Amy noticed Shadow standing limply at the sidelines, his normally aloof expression replaced with one of helplessness. As Knuckles walked up with Espio underarm, the black hedgehog turned stiffly.

"I tried to tell her..." He said in a fractured voice, as if he had been wandering through an ancient battlefield for far too long. Sonic appraised the situation, rubbing his chin. Amy tugged on Silver's sleeve.

"What's going on?" She whispered. The albino made a strange sort of face, somewhere between embarrassment and amusement. He bit his lip.

"Blaze is... a very... _competitive_ person."

Amy looked back at the arena, wondering what a burning kart had to do with the aloof feline. Then, as she looked closer, the pink hedgehog began to make out the silhouette of a familiar upperclassman, cackling maniacally and shooting flames from her limbs. Amy's knees trembled, threatening to give out.

"How... how..." her small voice trailed off. After Knuckles set the chameleon on his feet, Espio pressed a hand to his forehead, sighing.

"Perhaps this _was_ a bad idea." He looked at Amy sidelong, "Blaze is a pyrokinetic."

Amy nearly fainted before Knuckles placed a massive hand across her mid back. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself and looked between Sonic and Silver blankly. She pressed her hands to either side of her head.

"How is it possible? Telekinesis _and_ pyrokinesis? This isn't real!"

Silver shrugged, a sheepish smile pulling up one corner of his mouth, "Blaze and I aren't from around here, so to speak."

Amy frowned, "I'm from Green Hill. You don't see _me_ having superpowers, do you?"Silver made a funny face—like he knew something but wouldn't say it. Sonic rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Well... I dunno... You seem to be pretty compassionate for hanging out with the Linehardt losers." Something in his green eyes made Amy feel small and unsure of herself for a moment. The moment passed and the blue hedgehog's cocky grin was back as he turned to cheer for Blaze. Amy crossed her fingers and stared at her shoes.

"I don't think you guys are losers..."

No one responded and for a moment Amy wondered if she had said something amiss. Then, Silver patted her on the shoulder with a kind, no-strings-attached sort of smile and she realized that they probably already knew how she felt. If she _really _thought they were losers, she wouldn't be standing with them in the middle of a theme park while their dorm mate crushed the dreams of children. The five boys and their new pink friend sighed quietly as Blaze took out another bumper car, cackling wildly. A soft feeling seemed to wrap around Amy's heart, making her feel at ease. It was going to be a long day—she could feel it—and every minute would be worthwhile.

* * *

When the sun began to slip below the city buildings and the sky was washed with russet and cantaloupe, the passes finally ran out of stamp slots. It was a blessing in disguise; park security was hot on the trail of Amy and SLK, prepared to arrest them... or ban them from the park, at least. They had been on the run through Twinkle Park since Blaze's little show at the bumper cars. They moved so fast, Amy wondered if they had done it a hundred times before. Jumping from the bumper cars to another roller coaster, to a 3D adventure ride and again to a magical fairy ride where Knuckles fell asleep. The day was raucous with laughter and one awkward moment where Sonic insisted on feeding Amy a deep fried Oreo. The freshman had nearly exploded at _that_ particular moment.

At last, they were trudging on weary feet to the front gates, the last remnants of glee still warm on their faces and the cries of joy from the theme park fading into the background. The group began to plot their next course of action, albeit in an exhausted sort of way.

"Food," Silver said plainly. The rest nodded their heads, slumping against Chaos Control when they were near enough. The white hedgehog sat on the pavement, his letter jacket falling off his shoulders to hang on his elbows. "Where?"

Sonic raised a hand, "Lenny's." He grinned as if it was the greatest plan in the world. Knuckles began to unlock the car while Espio and Shadow made weakly argumentative faces at Sonic.

Blaze pressed a hand against her forehead, "We ate there the day before yesterday."

The blue hedgehog's drowsy face turned devious, "Then we're about due for the third visit this week. Whaddya say, Blazy?"

The lavender feline leaned back on her hips, brushing Sonic's hand from her shoulder, "Don't call me that." Sonic placed his hand back on its perch and gave her a challenging smirk, eliciting a small hiss from the cat and a irritated growl from Shadow.

Amy rubbed the side of her neck, glancing from one upperclassman to the next. Truth be told, she was a little embarrassed to go back to the diner, considering the one and only time she had been there ended in her making a fool of herself. She chewed her lower lip. Noticing her discomfort, Silver levitated himself into standing and smiled at her.

"You're worried about people remembering you."

The younger hedgehog sighed, "Is it that obvious?"

Silver chuckled warmly, "Nah, I'm just a lucky guesser. Don't worry—the people there forgot you already."

"Are you sure?"  
Sonic ducked Shadow's swing with expertise, popping back up again to wink at Amy, "Course we're sure! We practically _live_ at Lenny's." Blaze grabbed Shadow's sleeve before he could swing again. She rolled her gold eyes as she patted his coal-black hand.

"If we eat there any more often, we _will_."

Sonic laughed boisterously and Knuckles popped up from the driver's side. He held up his hands.

"Are we going or what?"

"Easy there, big guy!" Sonic sped around the car in the blink of an eye, "We can only go if I get to sit by Amy this time!" Glancing over his shoulder, he waggled his eyebrows at her. Amy raised a hand to her mouth to nervously chew her nails. Knuckles growled before picking Sonic up and tossing him into the car. Red sneakers smacked against the passenger window and Shadow chuckled darkly before opening the door.

"Get up. Same seating arrangement as last time." Sonic moaned sadly before crawling out. Blaze crawled in behind the seats and Amy followed tentatively. Espio completed the back seat trio and the rest of SLK bundled in. Knuckles started the car and began to pull away when Silver suddenly jolted.

"STOP! You're forgetting it's night time!"

Espio looked out the window the faintest hint of a frown on his brow, "The sun _just_ set."

Silver balled his fists and shook them, "It's night time, okay? And night time is...?"

"TECHNO TIME!" Sonic shouted. He bumped the stereo's power button, instantly drowning the car in blaring EDM music. Amy thought her ears might have fallen off. She pressed her hands over the tender apertures, turning to Blaze.

"Is it always this loud?" Her voice was muffled by the music. Blaze shrugged and the car tore away from the parking slot before speeding into the street. The darkened scenery shot past the windows as neon signs flickered to life. Amy's ears became used to the excess volume and instead a strange energetic feeling began to fill her veins, causing her emotions to crackle with electricity. The laughter of her companions mixed into the stirring beat and the invigorating synth and Amy Rose felt more alive than she had on the roller-coaster. Now _this _was what college was supposed to be like!

Somewhere in the back of her mind, the idea of Rouge waking up and not being able to contact her worried Amy. How could she explain that she had only meant to apologize... then was dragged into a full day of way too much fun? Rouge's scolding was carefully maneuvered, subtle, and biting—Amy didn't look forward to it. The car slowed and Sonic lowered the volume as they pulled into the Lenny's parking lot. Silver licked his lips.

"Pancakes... all you can eat pancakes," he grinned dreamily.

"Are they really that good here?" Amy asked. The albino turned around, his yellow eyes intense.

"They are legendary..."

Amy's stomach rumbled quietly, "I'll have to try them..."

Chaos Control idled briefly before going silent and the group crawled out and walked into the little restaurant. They were assaulted with the heavenly scent of fresh comfort food. Sonic raised his black nose into the air, breathing deeply.

"I'd almost forgotten what food smelled like," he groaned dramatically. Espio buried his face into a hand.

"We ate at Twinkle Park, Sonic... it was only a few hours ago, lest you forget."

"Might as well be forever," the speedy hedgehog chuckled. Espio rolled his eyes.

"So melodramatic."

Amy giggled behind a hand at the boys' gentle bickering and followed as the skinny coyote waitress from before led them to a round booth in a secluded corner. Amy pulled open her menu and remembered the grating mental suffering of having to choose between different meals. Silver pushed his unopened menu aside, already intent on unlimited pancakes. He reached across the table for the drink menu instead. Blaze, sitting to Amy's left, pursed her lips.

"I want a milkshake..."

Amy looked up at the inappropriately weighted statement, raising an eyebrow. On the other side of Blaze, Shadow's ear twitched over his menu. His soft voice slipped past the plastic.

"So get a milkshake."

Blaze bit her lower lip and sagged into a full frown, turning the page to glare at a fancy-looking sundae, "But I want ice cream too..." Shadow's menu slapped down onto the enameled table and he blinked slowly.

"So get ice cream."

"But I'm..." Blaze's eyes flickered down to her legs and back up. Shadow closed his menu and scooted closer to the feline. With unwavering merlot gaze, he leaned into her face. Amy watched as Blaze didn't even flinch, which seemed like a mighty feat. Shadow spoke.

"You're not fat. Eat both."

"Milkshake it is!" Blaze shoved her menu into the hedgehog's face and he leaned away, rolling his eyes. Amy caught him smirking nigh imperceptibly. Meanwhile, on her other side, Silver was tapping his waiting fork on the table.

"I'm so hungry... Knuckles, hurry up!"

The echidna pressed a fist against his own forehead, eyes widening at the array of choices. He spluttered frantically, "There's too much! I don't know!"

Espio sank deeper into the booth beside Knuckles, groaning in lament, "You've been eating here for two _years... _how can you not know what you like by now?"

"I'm indecisive," Knuckles stated simply. Sonic snorted the water he'd been drinking and choked before twisting his face into a teasing expression.

"I'm surprised you know a word that big, Knux. You been practicing?"

"Jog on, track-nerd," Knuckles shoved the blue hedgehog away irritably, returning to his perusal. Sonic shrugged with a dark snicker and dropped his menu on top of Silver's, leaning in front of the hungry albino to gaze at Amy.

"So. Whatcha getting, Ames?"

Feeling butterflies in her stomach, Amy focused on his forehead instead of his eyes, "I-I don't know yet... Possibly this breakfast sandwich... thing?"

Pulling out of his ravenous stupor, Silver turned to look at her menu, "Oh, that's a good one. You won't be sorry..." He paused, tacking on as an afterthought, "Until you see my pancakes, that is."

Sonic swiveled his head to glower at the telekinetic, "Why does that sound like an innuendo, coming from you?"

Silver looked down his nose at his blue friend, "Because _everything_ sounds like innuendo in your ears. What, are they clogged with all the fat from the chilidogs you eat?" The faintest pink flush spread over the bridge of Sonic's nose and he leaned back in the booth, grumbling softly. The waitress returned and took their order, leaving them to light conversation.

Amy learned that Sonic was attending Linehardt on a track-and-field scholarship—and that he was nicknamed "The Fastest Thing Alive" and the "Blue Blur". He made a terrible pun about how winning races made everything seem "racy", and that's why he always heard innuendos. Amy had laughed at first until Espio sank even lower in the booth and the rest of the group exhaled loudly. Silver explained that he hadn't lettered in any sport—he wasn't much of a runner—but instead was part of the Chess Team. When asked if _he _was in any sports, Shadow had scoffed and explained that he wasn't much of a "team player". He was focused on weapons science and chemistry in the hopes of securing a high-end government job after graduation. Amy was slightly intimidated and had asked Blaze about her classes to change the subject. The lavender cat shrugged, saying she just wanted to absorb as much about literature and writing as she could before she had to go back.

"Go back?" Amy asked.

"Home," Blaze murmured. Before Amy could further pursue her curiosity, the waitress returned with her arms full of plates and she doled them out with expertise. Silver immediately cut a wedge out of his oozing pancake stack and stuffed it into his mouth, moaning with pleasure.

"They're so _good_," he mumbled through the mouthful. Amy smiled and picked up one half of her sandwich, biting into it hungrily. The conversation fell aside as the students dug into their meals. It took less time for them to demolish the food than it had been to cook it. Finally, they all sat back and patted their stomachs. Amy rested her cheek on a hand.

"This day has been... amazing..."

Blaze pulled the straw from her mouth and gave the younger girl a small smile, "That's good... It's rare we make such a fine impression on new students." The boys nodded in agreement.

Amy sat up a little straighter, "Why does everyone say the things they do? About you guys, I mean."

Sonic leaned forward on the table with an uncharacteristic sober expression, "It's just a string of bad luck and gossiping city kids, mainly... We all went through high school together so it was a bit odd from the outside that we'd be placed into the same dorm," a smile tugged at his mouth. "I had a connection in an older student though, so it's not so much of a miracle. I guess a lot of people have a problem with Blaze living in a frat too, but she has social anxiety and we couldn't abandon her to the cattiness—pardon the pun... or not—of the sororities." Blaze stiffened at the mention of her personal problem, but rolled her eyes and pulled a knee to her chest, resting her face on it. Sonic continued, "There's also the frat rivalry with _Scourge_..."

"Who's Scourge?"

Sonic glared at his empty plate, "A very bad guy... Green hedgehog, stupid orange sunglasses he wears everywhere..."

Amy lurched forward, rattling the water glasses, "I saw him! He tried to get me to come to his dorm!" The table went silent and Sonic's eyebrows seemed to disappear into his forehead. His frown returned.

"Don't go _near_ him. Don't listen to anything he says. That whole dorm is bad news and _not_ in the same way we are."

Amy nodded and the silence seemed to swallow them up for a few awkward minutes. Then, she turned to Silver.

"So you said earlier that you and Blaze aren't from around here... Care to elaborate?"

Silver jumped and leaned as far back in his seat as he could—Blaze had smoke coming up from her hands.

"You _told _her?"

Silver shook his head, "I only said we weren't from around here!"

"You naive idiot..." Blaze quickly pulled her hood up, disappearing into the dark purple sweatshirt. She looked around the restaurant almost fearfully. Amy scratched her head.

"Am I missing something?"

"Well, since it's already out..." Blaze rested her arms on the table and whispered. "Silver and I are from another dimension. Don't make that face! You already accepted our... abilities, so just accept this as well. We're from the Sol Dimension and if you so much as tell a single person about me you won't be going back home for break."

Amy gulped. Shadow snickered. Blaze sat back and pulled her milkshake to herself, biting down on the straw hard. After a moment, she spoke quietly.

"I don't like to tell people, because it sounds like a tragic back story and _far_ too Mary Sue... but you seem trustworthy, if your ridiculously innocent antics in Advanced Lit are anything to go by."

Amy sputtered.

Blaze set her glass down and fixed the pink hedgehog in her firm gaze, "I'm a princess in the Sol Dimension. I came to Mobius when I was fifteen to learn about the life of the average person, as well as escape my overbearing parents. Silver, my close friend" she gestured at the albino, "came with for safety measures. I spent a good four years in high school with this riotous bunch of idiots and the first year of college seemed successful. Then, _Marine_ followed from Sol and... ugh!" Blaze dug her claws into a napkin, "That silly little girl keeps trying to get me to go home. I love her to death, but... I don't plan on returning until I'm good and ready."

The bizarre tale ended as abruptly as it began and Blaze went back to licking whipped cream from her fingertips. Amy breathed shakily.

"This amazing day just got weird again," she said. Sonic laughed, shattering the tense atmosphere.

"You'll get used to it, Ames."

Amy lifted her eyes to meet his green ones and bit her lip. Was he... inviting her to hang out with them again? She mentally chided herself—since when was he the "leader", anyway? Suddenly, a snore was heard from the purple chameleon half-lying down in his seat and Knuckles stated it was time to head home. They paid and returned to the noisy blue car and drove off into the night. Amy fell into a warm stupor, thinking about all the information she'd learned and the overall strangeness of the day. Before she realized they were back at Linehardt and pulling into the SLK driveway. As the others climbed from the car, stretching and chatting idly, she moved to bid them goodnight. Before she could, however, Sonic tapped her shoulder. He smiled.

"You much for video games, Amy?"

"I've never really played any," she shrugged.

"Well, we have this _lovely _little nightly event with a game called Street Fighter Two... You in?" He waggled his eyebrows and Amy couldn't say no.

She replied breathlessly, "Couldn't hurt to try." Sonic made a triumphant gesture and dorm members—with their new acquaintance—filed into their too-big house. Late into the night, when the moon rose into the smoggy sky and shined down on the manicured campus like white gold, the cheers and cries of a Street Fighter tournament rang out the open windows into the cool air.

* * *

Morning arrived.

Amy shot up from her position on Sigma Lambda Kappa's couch and looked around at the sleeping members in a panic. The memory of a seemingly endless game from the night before flooded her mind, forcing her to recall that she had never gone back to her dorm. Amy Rose did not often think things through, and the thought of Rouge's fury she would surely face overwhelmed her frayed nerves.

So Amy Rose screamed.

* * *

**Ugh, I'm not happy with the portrayal of the ending... But I'm charging through this writer's block and I'll only do better in the future! Thank you all for your time again! **


	6. A Shakespearean Friendship

***Sigh* ...I'm a bad, bad procrastinator. This time was entirely my fault; I got this _huge_ influx of ideas and I wanted to write all of them at once! So I spent a while setting up new projects and mapping out different story plans and procrastinated writing this chapter, which I was very unsure of. I hope the end of this one makes up for the wait!**

_Lost and Forgotten Memories: I tried to work out what could be wrong with that phrase, but then chalked it up to just awkward wording. I'm glad to hear it's funny! I'm not really good at writing humor, so I need constant reassurance hehe_

_June Dune: Oh my goodness! When I saw I got another review from you I squeaked with excitement! I don't really like school fics either, but there are so many of them I decided to try and parody the style. Originally, this fic was going to be a collection of one-shots that poked fun at high-school story tropes, but then it morphed into me just trying to challenge myself with a subject I don't like. It's hard, but it's worth it. On Espio... As I was writing _Advents_, I was watching a lot of _Sonic X_ and researching different characters that didn't feature quite as frequently in main roles. I remembered my love of the Chaotix and wanted to include all of them, but realized that if I wanted Tails and Cream where they are in this story, that Charmy Bee (who is roughly the same age) couldn't be at the college dorm. Also, Vector always seemed older to me than canon due to his crush on Vanilla, so I made him too old to actually be in college. Therefore, I was left with Espio alone, but he's so fun to write I don't really mind. Thank you for your review, I'm so very thankful for it!_

_SunsetSparkle421: I'm glad you enjoyed! And yes, Sonic is a cutie all right hehe_

_adar13: I'm glad I'm not alone. Writer's block is the worst feeling! I hope the encounter with Rouge is satisfying :)_

* * *

6: A Shakespearean Friendship

Surprisingly, no one woke up. Amy sat frozen in her position on the mushy couch, her mouth open in shock. Espio strolled in from the kitchen, his expression tranquil, eating a bowl of cereal with a fork. Seeing the pink hedgehog awake, he waved the utensil pleasantly.

"Good morning."

Amy scrunched her bangs in distress, "What am I going to _do_?"

The chameleon blinked, "About what? Your hair?"

"What do you mean?!" Amy peeled the blanket she was wrapped in away from her and jumped up, carefully picking her way over the slumbering bodies on the floor to the hallway. She caught her reflection in a decorative wall mirror and jumped. "I look like a zombie!" Espio continued to crunch on cereal as he watched her attempt to straighten her wrinkled shirt and twisted pants. Finally he swallowed.

"Day-old windblown isn't a _bad_ look, per se. Very early-2000s alternative."

"I don't _want _to look early-2000s alternative!" The freshman tugged her fingers through her quills. There was a rustling of movement back in the den and Sonic's whine trailed out.

"Why... so... _noise_..." He faded off into a snore. Espio took another forkful of cereal. Amy inhaled and exhaled slowly before clasping her hands in front of her. She looked at Espio firmly.

"Um... Thank you all, for yesterday... I'm sorry if I imposed."

Espio shrugged, "No problem."

"I... I'm gonna go back," Amy stuttered and she bolted for the front door before a reply could be made. She closed the front door behind her and sprinted across the street to her own dorm. GNO's massive door echoed up into the entryway; it was still the weekend for many students. Amy chewed a nail, not quite ready to face her best friend's scolding just yet. She decided to procrastinate and explore more of her own dorm and headed down the hall. Before long, she found herself in the den and was greeted by a familiar face.

"Wow. A week into your first year and you already slept over some guy's place." Wave's steely blue eyes drifted over Amy's mussed appearance before returning to the coffee table in front of her, which was occupied by a coffee mug, some worksheets, and a rotor. She absently took a swig from the mug and scribbled down some notes. Amy groaned inwardly, utterly mortified. She cautiously entered the large room and fell into an arm chair a safe distance from the swallow. A few minutes passed and Amy chanced a conversation.

"I... I didn't sleep over some guy's place... Not like how you mean, that is."

Wave raised her eyebrows without looking up from her homework, "Oh."

Ignoring the subtly acerbic tone, Amy pressed on, "I just met some new friends and we played video games really late," she sighed. "I guess I fell asleep over there."

Wave's expression darkened slightly and she looked up, "College is a dangerous place. Who did you so naively sleep over with?"

Amy turned her head defensively, "Sigma Lambda Kappa..." Before she could scramble away, the swallow was directly in front of her, eyes wild.

"Do you know how dangerous that is?!"

Amy raised her hands in front of her face, "They seemed like nice people!"

"Of course they did!" Wave growled, "_They're_ not who I'm talking about, the bunch of idiots. I'm talking about Delta Epsilon Delta! As in if you get in their way, you are DED!"

Amy frowned in confusion, "What?" Realizing how uninformed the pink hedgehog truly was, Wave quickly regained her composure. She reached up and tidied her bandanna slowly.

"I see you haven't met them yet, then." Her expression turned sightly ashamed and she looked away, "My... _friend_... is part of Delta Epsilon Delta and their dorm has a fairly _aggressive _rivalry with SLK. It's even escalated to violence in the past."

Amy recoiled and Wave shook her head quickly.

"No no! It wasn't that bad... just a little brawl in the industrial district of the city... Anyway, if they see you hanging out with SLK, I won't be able to say anything to stop them from harassing you as well. I—oh, why is this so weird...?" Wave pressed fingers to her temples, massaging her head in small circular motions. Amy stared at her, unsure of what to say or do. After a few awkward moments, Wave shook her head and her expression returned to its usual mask of haughty indifference. She blinked.

"It doesn't matter, I guess. You won't be going back there, so Jet won't bother you." The swallow returned to scribbling on her worksheet and carefully studying the rotor. Amy took this to mean the awkward, forced-feeling conversation was officially over and scampered away, finally ready to face her best friend. As she made her way up the stairs, some older sorority sisters looked at her and began whispering frantically, making strange motions with their hands and snickering. Amy's ears drooped slightly and she slumped her way up to the second floor.

Rouge was brushing her teeth to get ready for bed when Amy skulked by on her way to their room. She blinked, her blue eyes hard, and spoke past the foam in her mouth.

"So, you finally saw fit to show your face."

At the harsh tone in the bat's voice, Amy's lips trembled, "Rouge... I'm sorry I didn't call... I just got so swept up in activity that I ended up falling asleep there."

"Where?" Rouge spat the toothpaste into the sink, running the water and beginning to wash her face. Her ears twitched—the only sign that she was still listening to the pink hedgehog. Amy bit her lip and leaned against the door jamb, holding her elbows and wondering _exactly _how angry Rouge would be if she told her about the insane night spent gaming with SLK. Rouge turned off the tap and patted her face with a washcloth before turning and pressing a fist to her hips. She eyed Amy coldly.

"It's amazing to me that all I have ever done for you is watch and care. You're my _best friend_, Amy Rose, and I'm not going to lecture you after _one_ week of university." Amy opened her mouth to respond but Rouge stalked past her and began to walk towards their room with the younger girl following, "Forget I asked 'where'; I _know_ you went to Sigma. I know you spent all day with them and I know you slept over. I just want you to think about what I told you, though: they're dangerous. It's not good to get involved with them for so many reasons that I can't even begin to explain it." Amy closed the door to their room as Rouge haphazardly stripped out of her clothes, rooting around in a small dresser for her pajamas. The white bat yanked on a pair of flannel bottoms and slipped a t-shirt over her head, then crawled into her bed. She looked up at Amy one final time, the faintest trace of hurt in her eyes.

"I guess you're an adult now, though, so it's none of _my_ business." She fell back among her pillows and buried herself in blankets, leaving Amy to stand by and fret helplessly. Eventually, knowing that she had nothing to refute Rouge's argument even if she woke her up, Amy grabbed her toiletries and a set of clean lounge wear and went for a shower. The hot water washed away the tenseness in her muscles and gave some clarity to her mind.

She realized it was really foolish for her to just fall asleep at a stranger's house. _Especially_ since it was filled with mostly boys. It was also really stupid to disregard Rouge like she had, completely ignoring her warning and then not even calling her to say where she'd be. Amy sagged against the shower wall, chewing her lower lip remorsefully. No, she'd resolve to do better. She'd apologized and made herself out to be civil—that was all that was necessary, right?

Yet... the memories of their wild adventure at Twinkle Park and the way they all cheered for her when she beat a high score in Street Fighter filled her with the most pleasant warmth. Back at Green Hill, she'd always had friends, but the only person she was really close to was Rouge. Rouge was the stereotypical "older friend"—she had such nice clothes, she knew all the best places to hang out and see cute boys... and she always watched out for Amy's safety in her own detached sort of way. The residents of Sigma Lambda Kappa were just so... invigorating. They seemed to set aside all the judgments they received from outside and just focused on really _living_. It didn't matter where they were, they would still have fun.

It was so different from what Amy had experienced before and she didn't want to lose that new perspective. If anything, she wanted to drink it in like mother's milk and let it burn through her veins. She felt confident and safe in those hours she spent with the forbidden frat... so was it really so wrong to want to stay with them?

_Yes... Rouge knows what she's talking about and I will be a good friend and listen._

Amy turned the tap off and reached for her towel through the curtain. Her resolution was strong and she would not fail! She couldn't!

With a renewed determination to listen to her best friend and have a good, average first year, Amy made her way back to her dorm room and sat down at her desk to do homework quietly. Rouge woke up briefly and eyed Amy with a concerned look.

"I just don't want to worry about you..."

Amy shook her head and smiled softly, "You don't have to. I won't go back there again."

Rouge nodded and rolled over in her mass of bedding and Amy studied hard throughout the day, hoping for a much better Tuesday morning.

* * *

The next day, as Amy reached the main street, she was greeted by none other than the people she wanted to avoid most. Sonic was at the head of them, his long legs sprawled forward from the yard into the path. Upon seeing the freshman, the members of SLK all looked up and spoke their various greetings.

"What are you guys doing here?" Amy asked. Silver looked up with a warm grin.

"We didn't hear from you yesterday. We wanted to make sure you were all right after we kinda failed at bringing you back safely." He turned sheepish at the end, rubbing the thick toes of his boots together. Sonic nodded to back up the albino's statement.

"We really should have been more careful. I'm sure your friends were worried about you." He tilted his head to the side, green eyes striking Amy far too forcefully for the early morning. The pink hedgehog rubbed the back of her leg with a foot, hoping that Rouge wasn't watching from the window above. She had to tell them she couldn't be seen with them...

"Anyway, since you and I share a class first thing," Blaze straightened her jacket (which seemed a little fancy for an average school day) before eyeing Amy flatly. "Shadow suggested that we walk with you."

The black hedgehog's eyes went wide, "I... I didn't."

Blaze smirked at him, "Don't worry; no one is going to mistake you as a softy."

Silver stood and whispered to Amy, "Even though he _so totally is_." Despite herself, Amy chuckled. The warmth of the forbidden group was blooming in her core again. Why was it so hard to deny these people? She looked from one to the next—Sonic's enticing looks to Knuckles boisterous personality—and realized something she didn't want to admit.

_They're just... good people._

Espio pulled out his phone to check the time and suggested they make their way towards the academics complex before they were late. Everyone agreed and they were off. As Amy began to fall into place behind them, however, she heard someone whisper her name. She turned with a curious glance, only to see Sally and Tikal a few feet behind her, gesturing with concerned eyes.

"Amy!" Tikal hissed, "_What_ are you doing?"

Not wanting to alert the others, Amy only mouthed, _Going to class!_

Sally and Tikal frowned, _With them? Come on, don't be stupid. Come with us!  
_

Deliberation passed over the pink hedgehog's face for a moment. Sally and Tikal briefly expected her to pull away and come walk with them in safety, but then... she simply shrugged, smiled and turned back around.

* * *

School passed with a strange electricity in the air. Amy knew she had done something very final when she had ignored her friends to walk with SLK. Yet... she couldn't just slap away Sigma's attention without seeming like she consisted entirely of mood swings, so she would have to find a way to tell them gently. Like a guillotine of old, the notion hung over her head throughout the day, not helped by Sonic and Silver greeting her in Physics with wide smiles and silly antics as well as Knuckles offering his best help to get through Global Studies.

The day finally ended; Amy planned to make a break for her dorm to take a moment to plan, but she was thwarted by none other than the Blue Blur himself. Sonic smiled leisurely at the courtyard entrance, leaning against the stone dividers with his hands behind his head and an infuriating smirk on his Venus-flytrap face. He raised his eyebrows while keeping his lids closed lazily.

"Going somewhere _fast_, Ames?"

Amy skidded to a halt and straightened her skirt, attempting to appear casual, "Um... Not really." Sonic opened his eyes half-way, the hypnotic smirk never leaving his lips. He lurched away from the divider and gestured for her to follow him. When she hesitated, he paused and turned, his eyes appearing wounded.

"Don't you want to come hang out again? You had a lot of fun on Sunday, right?"

The question lingered in the quiet air like mist. Amy breathed in and out softly, quelling the butterflies in her stomach and organizing her thoughts into some semblance of logic.

"I-I... I can't," she drooped over, staring at her shiny red boots. "The truth is... my friends keep saying Sigma Lambda Kappa is dangerous. They say that if I'm seen with you, other people will _talk..._ or even bully me." She raised her eyes slightly to gauge his expression—it was unreadable. "Rouge is my best friend and I've known her since we were kids. I don't want to disappoint her." They sat in silence. A cool breeze blew over the campus carrying the mixed scents of perfumes, the cafeteria and books. Sonic grinned.

"'Disappoint'... or _disobey_?"

Amy raised an eyebrow, "W-what?"

"You heard me. I think you _liked_ hanging with us and you just don't want to lose your friend for 'disobeying' her insinuated command."

"Rouge isn't like that! She really cares about me!"

"Yeah, but she's also like a parent, right? Sometimes people start to get overprotective with time. Amy, you can't live your life by other peoples' rules. Now come on, we've got to get you having some fun!" He grabbed her hand before she could argue further and broke into a sprint. It wasn't what she was expecting though. The very fabric of reality seemed to blur around her and the wind whipped her hair free from its headband. She would have screamed if they hadn't stopped so fast, already standing on Sigma's front stoop. Sonic pulled her into the house and she followed without a sound, dazed from the run. They ghosted through the hallway to enter the kitchen, which was bustling with a bizarre commotion.

"Knuckles, I need more oil than that stupid spray can," Silver growled. "Get me the bottle!" Amy assessed the situation: Silver stood over a massive wok which—judging by the surrounding Jack bags—was filled with sausage biscuit sandwiches. Knuckles was rumbling around the kitchen, grabbing different things from the shelves. Shadow and Blaze were a distance away, sitting at a small dining table which was littered with textbooks and notepaper. They were sharing a pair of earbuds and frowning in concentration. Espio was nowhere to be seen. Upon receiving the bottle of vegetable oil, Silver grinned wickedly and bit the cap off, pouring the gold mixture over the mountain of biscuits.

"What...?" Amy squeaked. It was too noisy for anyone to hear her, though. Instead, Silver gestured at Knuckles and the echidna dropped an extendable lighter into his open hand. The hedgehog cackled madly before holding the lighter against the oiled biscuits and sparking it to life.

If the Guinness Book of World Records crew had been there, they would have given the award for Best-smelling Explosion Ever. Sadly, they were not. Instead, the inhabitants of the kitchen cried out in terror at the monster they created and flailed around.

"Aiieeee!" Silver jumped backwards onto the island counter, his eyes wide with fear. "It's b-big!"

Shadow, who was not panicking but placidly going about his homework, murmured, "What did you expect?"

Knuckles grabbed a nearby pot and began filling it in the sink as flames licked up the wall. Sonic dug his fingers into his quills.

"You idiots! I leave the house for _two seconds_ and you're burning it to the ground! What would Vector say?!"

"He'd probably give us cookies for experimenting!" Silver shouted. Knuckles approached the wok with his filled pot and leaned back. Sensing his intent, Amy yelped.

"YOU CAN'T USE WATER ON A GREASE FIRE!"

It was too late—the water was free and the previous explosion was dwarfed by this one. Sonic and Silver had the good sense to jump out of the way, but Amy was a bit slower and only managed to turn around. The fire caught on her backpack and she began to scream.

"AAAAGGGH I'M ON FIRE!"

There was chaos and a scramble in the kitchen. Someone yelled "stop drop and roll" and Amy fell to the floor. Strong hands wrestled her backpack off of her and then there was a chorus of stomping sounds. She sat up and turned around just in time to see Shadow release the contents of a fire extinguisher on the smoldering wreckage. As it sputtered out, the room was deathly quiet. Amy crawled forward shakily, pulling at the flap of her backpack to reveal the books inside.

They were little more than ash and soggy paper.

"These... were rented..." The whisper escaped her almost of its own volition. There was a collective sharp intake of breath at the realization. The freshman continued, "I... don't have the money to pay for these... Especially not replacements."

"Ames..." Sonic began. She was on her feet in a millisecond, whirling on him and brandishing a yellow-and-red mallet. He sputtered.

"Where did _that _come from?!"

"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU IDIOT! I NEEDED THOSE FOR THE WHOLE _YEAR_!"

"Amy don't kill us!" Silver burst into a wail and jumped over the counter. Shadow and Blaze both grabbed onto the younger girl's arms, restraining her from the murder of Sonic. She thrashed about, swinging the mallet ferociously.

"Amy, calm down," Blaze said calmly. "We'll pay for the damages."

"WHAT AM I GOING TO DO UNTIL THEN?"

Espio was suddenly in the door of the kitchen, sucking on a juice box. Studying the carnage around him—the burnt walls, the sizzling pile of biscuits, the charred backpack and his dorm-mates all looking quite surprised. He sucked at the straw again, unblinkingly.

Blaze loosened her grasp on Amy's arm, "You can study with me for Literature. I know Shadow has some old science books that you might be able to use. He can also tutor you in your math class. I hear Knuckles' Global Studies class doesn't do much anyway and Espio will help you with anything you need to know for computers."

It was too coincidental to be real. Amy melted to the floor, "Rouge will kill me..." She looked up at Sonic's inappropriate laugh, only to have him meet her gaze, his own filled with mirth. He chuckled again.

"Well Ames, guess you're stuck with us."


End file.
